Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war under a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, the BBC reported on Monday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had exchanged 150 detained Ukrainian soldiers for an equal number of Russian soldiers.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 189 prisoners had returned home.
He added that among those released were “defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol”, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Snake Island.
Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the released Russian soldiers are in Belarus and that they are being provided with medical assistance and the opportunity to get in touch with their families.
This is the 59th exchange since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and is one of the largest so far, emphasizes the BBC.
Ukraine does not release the number of prisoners captured by Russia, but it is believed to be more than 8,000.
Zelenski said two civilians captured in Mariupol were among dozens of soldiers and officers released on Monday.
“We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity. That is our goal. We do not forget anyone,” Zelenski said. He published photos of several exchanged men on a bus with yellow and blue Ukrainian flags.
In May 2022, Russia declared victory after a months-long battle to capture the southeastern port city of Mariupol, and the last fighters defending the Azovstal steel plant surrendered.
The Russian military occupied Chernobyl in the northwest of the country at the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but later handed over control of the plant to its employees.
Snake Island in the Black Sea was also captured in 2022, and Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner, but were later exchanged for Russian prisoners.
