Russia and Ukraine conducted their third major prisoner exchange in seven weeks, with a total of 190 individuals released between both countries.
This latest swap followed negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which have played a crucial role in facilitating these exchanges between them.
Ukraine President, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, announced that all 95 Ukrainians freed were military personnel, and expressed gratitude to the UAE for their assistance.
However, Russia’s defense ministry stated that the returning soldiers would undergo medical examinations, physical and psychological rehabilitation, claiming they had faced “mortal danger” in Ukrainian captivity.
This prisoner exchange marks the third in recent weeks, with the first announced in late May. Since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has secured the return of 3,405 people from Russian captivity, according to the Ukrainian Coordinating Committee on Dealing with Prisoners of War.
The committee reported that seven officers and 88 soldiers and sergeants were freed in this latest exchange, with most having been held captive since 2022.
A video posted by the committee showed Ukrainian troops boarding buses to return home, cheering and embracing each other. One serviceman, wrapped in the Ukrainian flag, expressed his disbelief at being back home, saying, “I still cannot believe that I am at home.”
Notably, 23 of the freed soldiers had participated in the three-month defense of the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol and were captured by Russian forces in May 2022.
The committee highlighted that many returning Ukrainian soldiers suffer from chronic diseases and require long-term treatment due to their wounds.
In the previous exchange in June, Russia and Ukraine each handed back 90 prisoners, marking a significant step towards alleviating the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict.
