Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners on Saturday, 206 in all, in their second such swap in two days, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, officials said.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all 103 Ukrainians returned were from the military — 82 soldiers and privates and 21 officers.
Russian Defense Ministry said that the 103 Russian soldiers exchanged had been taken prisoner in the border Kursk region where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August.
Kyiv and Moscow have frequently exchanged prisoners since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and Saturday’s swap was the third since Ukraine began a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in early August.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman, said the majority of the freed Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since the early days of the invasion.
Persons:
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, “, ” Zelenskyy, WAM, Dmytro Lubinets, ” Lubinets
Organizations:
United Arab, Russian Defense Ministry, UAE, Kyiv
Locations:
Russia, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Kursk, Ukrainian, Moscow, Russia’s Kursk