Largest prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kiev since the start of the war
The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced the release of 248 Russian soldiers on the online service Telegram. They are now receiving medical and psychological care.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared in Kiev: "More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have returned from Russian captivity." He also published a video on Telegram of men in military uniform celebrating.
Neither country had announced a prisoner exchange for almost five months. Kiev had accused Moscow of blocking such agreements for political reasons.
"There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations," emphasized Selenskyj. The fact that these have now been successful is "good news".
According to Moscow, the exchange was the "result of a difficult negotiation process", which was carried out with the help of the United Arab Emirates. The Emirates stated that the agreement reflected their "strong friendly relations" with both Russia and Ukraine.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners several times since the war began almost two years ago. They do not make public how many of the enemy's soldiers they are holding in each case.
The prisoner exchange took place in the midst of an expansion of mutual attacks. According to local authorities, three people were killed in Russian attacks in Ukrainian border areas on Wednesday. Russian leader Vladimir Putin had announced an intensification of attacks this week after 25 people were killed in rocket attacks on the Russian city of Belgorod, not far from the border with Ukraine, at the weekend.
Ukraine had previously been hit by one of the heaviest waves of Russian attacks since the start of the war in February 2022. According to Ukrainian authorities updated on Wednesday, 53 people were killed on Friday last week, 30 of them in the capital Kiev.
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- Despite the ongoing hostility between Russia and Ukraine, the United Arab Emirates played a crucial role in facilitating the largest prisoner exchange between Moscow and Kiev since the beginning of the war.
- Volodymyr Selensky, the President of Ukraine, commended this breakthrough, noting that it signified a pause in the negotiations was not a pause in the negotiations' progress.
- The United Arab Emirates, maintaining strong friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine, had actively participated in the negotiation process that led to this significant exchange of prisoners.
- Following the announcement, Moscow reported that 248 Russian soldiers had been released and were currently receiving medical and psychological care.
- It was nearly five months since a prisoner exchange had taken place between these two countries, with Kiev accusing Moscow of stalling such agreements for political reasons.
- Russia and Ukraine have previously engaged in prisoner exchanges several times since the initiation of the war, yet they have consistently refrained from disclosing the exact number of enemy soldiers they are holding in each case.
Source: www.stern.de
