RUSSIA, UKRAINE RELEASES A TOTAL OF190 PRISONERS OF WAR IN LATEST EXCHANGE

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Agency Report

In the most recent prisoner exchange between the two nations, Russia and Ukraine have released 190 seized soldiers in total, officials in both Moscow and Kyiv announced on Wednesday.

Over 50 such exchanges during the war have resulted in the release of thousands of prisoners of war; this is one area where the two sides have been able to reach unusual accords since Russia invaded in February 2022.

Russia’s defense ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky both announced the release of 95 of their servicemen on Wednesday.

“We keep returning our people home.” “An additional ninety-five defenders have been freed from Russian custody,” Zelensky stated in a Telegram post.

He added that the United Arab Emirates acted as a mediator for the swap.

“As a result of a negotiation process, 95 Russian servicemen… have been returned,” Russia’s defence ministry said on Telegram.

The ministry released footage showing the liberated Russian soldiers grinning and cheering “Glory to Russia” on their bus ride to an unidentified destination.

In a video released by Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, soldiers were interviewed by Russian officials and stated they were in good condition and did not report any issues.

Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, claimed in June that 6,465 Ukrainian prisoners had been taken prisoner by Russia and that 1,348 Russian servicemen were being held captive in Ukraine.

There have been intermittent exchanges during the battle.

In one of the few times that officials from Moscow and Kyiv have had direct talks, Moskalkova claimed that her office had a meeting with a counterpart from Ukraine during the exchange.

The first such meeting took place at an exchange in June, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner Dmytro Lubinets told AFP at the time.

The officials discussed “joint humanitarian actions, including those related to the reunification of families”, Moskalkova said.

Kyiv accuses Russia of having forcibly deported thousands of Ukrainian children from territory that came under Moscow’s control, and is working to secure their return.

Moscow says children were moved for their own protection.

Several have been returned, including through deals brokered by Qatar.

AFP