Moscow and Kyiv have traded 150 prisoners of war with the help of mediators from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Russia’s Defense Ministry announced Friday, the first such exchange after months of stalled talks between the two warring sides.
“As a result of negotiations, 75 Russian servicemen, who were in mortal danger in captivity, were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiyv regime,” the Defense Ministry said, adding that 75 Ukrainian soldiers were also sent home.
“The United Arab Emirates provided humanitarian mediation during the return of Russian servicemen from captivity,” it said.
The announcement came two days after Russia’s human rights commissioner accused the Ukrainian authorities of blocking efforts to secure the further release of imprisoned soldiers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed Friday’s exchange in a social media post, saying that “today we have an important result — 75 more of our people have returned to Ukraine.”
He shared photos of the returning soldiers draped in Ukrainian flags and being greeted by relatives.
UAE authorities brokered several swaps of Ukrainian and Russian prisoners of war earlier this year.
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