It’s the first such trade since Ukraine launched a shock incursion into Russia’s Kursk area on August 6.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 115 prisoners of warfare from either side, each nations confirmed, with the United Arab Emirates appearing as an middleman.
“The UAE has efficiently mediated a brand new captives trade between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, ensuing within the launch of 230 captives,” the Gulf nation’s Ministry of Overseas Affairs stated on Saturday.
It was the UAE’s seventh mediation effort this yr between the 2 nations, the ministry stated in an announcement.
Whereas Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated 115 Ukrainian POWs had been returned from Russia, Russia confirmed that 115 of its servicemen captured within the Kursk area throughout Ukraine’s ongoing incursion had been launched.
Each side have carried out periodic prisoner swaps through intermediaries for the reason that warfare started almost two years in the past, regardless of the absence of any peace talks between them for the reason that early months of the battle.
This was the primary such swap since Ukraine shocked Russia by crossing the border into Kursk on August 6.
One of the biggest exchanges was on January 3, when the warring nations traded a complete of 478 captives following mediation by the UAE.
The UAE ministry stated that the overall variety of captives exchanged by way of its mediation efforts now stood at 1,788.
Zelenskyy stated these freed included members of the nation’s nationwide guard, the armed forces and the navy.
“We bear in mind everybody,” he stated in a submit on X. “We’re trying to find them and making each effort to deliver all of them again.”
One other 115 of our defenders have returned residence right this moment. These are warriors of the Nationwide Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.
We bear in mind everybody. We’re trying to find them and making each effort to deliver all of them again.
I’m grateful to every… pic.twitter.com/XiMAeANsOd
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2024
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s commissioner for human rights, stated 82 of the returned Ukrainians had defended the southeastern port metropolis of Mariupol in 2022, which Russia took management of.
The most recent trade was introduced as Ukraine on Saturday celebrated its 33rd independence day from the Soviet Union amid the protracted battle.
Russia needed to “destroy” Ukraine however warfare has “returned to its residence”, Zelenskyy stated in an independence day video handle.
Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk is among the most important cross-border assaults for the reason that warfare started in 2022.
Regardless of the incursion, Russia continues to make advances in japanese Ukraine.
