For the first time in months, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners. In statements published almost simultaneously, both sides announced yesterday that more than 200 of their own soldiers had each returned to their home country. According to Moscow, the exchange was “the result of a difficult negotiation process” that took place with the help of the United Arab Emirates.
Moscow's Defense Ministry reported on Telegram that 248 Russian soldiers had been released. In turn, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in Kiev that “more than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have returned from Russian captivity”.
Ukraine has already brought back 2,828 of its citizens from Russian captivity during the war, said Andryi Yusov, spokesman for the HUR military intelligence service. According to Kiev, more than 4,000 Ukrainians are still in Russian captivity.
The process recently stopped
It is the first officially announced prisoner swap in several months. Since the war began nearly two years ago, both sides have agreed and undertaken such actions several times. However, this process stalled in the second half of last year.