Russia, Ukraine swap 206 prisoners of war in UAE-brokered deal
The Hindu
Russia and Ukraine swap 103 prisoners each in a deal brokered by the UAE amid ongoing conflict.
Moscow and Kyiv swapped 103 prisoners of war each on Saturday (September 14, 2024) in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, a rare moment of coordination between the two warring sides as Russia pushes ahead in east Ukraine.
The Russians released in the swap were captured during Ukraine's incursion into the Kursk region, Moscow said, while some of the Ukrainians freed had been held prisoner since Moscow seized the Azovstal steel plant in May 2022.
"Another 103 soldiers were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Among the freed were 82 privates and sergeants as well as 21 officers, Mr. Zelenskyy said.
"The defenders of Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol and Azovstal, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and the Kharkiv regions," he added.
Russia confirmed it had "handed over" 103 Ukrainian army prisoners, and received 103 Russian servicemen captured by Kyiv in its Kursk offensive in return.
"At present, all Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as an opportunity to contact their relatives," the Russian defence ministry said.
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