Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday said that they had exchanged more than 200 captive soldiers each, in what officials have described as the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.
The two warring sides have carried out dozens of exchanges since Moscow invaded in February 2022, but the process stalled in the latter half of last year.
In near simultaneous statements, Russia and Ukraine announced they had received more than 200 soldiers each following talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Photo: Ukranian Presidential Press Service via AFP
“More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Telegram, posting a video of uniformed men celebrating.
Neither side had announced an exchange in almost five months, prompting Kyiv to accuse Moscow of deliberately blocking deals for political reasons.
“There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations,” Zelenskiy said in a later message, hailing the swap as “good news.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense said 248 of its military personnel had been returned, and that they were being provided with “medical and psychological assistance.”
The UAE said the deal reflected its “strong friendly relations” with both Russia and Ukraine.
Neither side discloses how many prisoners are in their custody.
The announcement came as Russia continued to strike frontline areas of Ukraine, killing three people and wounding at least one, local officials said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed earlier this week to intensify strikes on the country following an unprecedented attack on the Russian city of Belgorod over the weekend.
“Today, at around 11am, Russians struck the city of Avdiivka with four missiles,” Donetsk regional head Vadym Filashkin said in a Telegram message.
“A 51-year-old man died on the spot,” he said, adding that a 50-year-old woman was wounded and taken to hospital.
Avdiivka is close to the Russian-controlled stronghold of Donetsk and has been the focus of intense fighting for months.
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