Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 206 prisoners of war, including Russian soldiers captured by the Ukrainian army during the border raid in the Kursk region.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that each side exchanged 103 soldiers with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.
“Currently, all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as the opportunity to contact their relatives,” the ministry added. Despite the ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine managed to exchange hundreds of prisoners over the two-and-a-half-year conflict, often in deals brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey. The announcement comes just three weeks after Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 115 prisoners of war in a deal also brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
“Our people are home. We have successfully returned 103 more soldiers from Russian captivity to Ukraine. 82 privates and sergeants. 21 officers. Defenders of the Kiev and Donetsk, Mariupol and Azovstal, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv regions. Warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, border guards and police officers. I thank our exchange team for bringing this good news to Ukraine,” wrote the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky in un post su X where some photos of the released hostages are also published.