In exchange for 95 Ukrainians and Russian of prisoners of war, the two countries continued, following negotiations held under the auspices of the United Arab Emirates.
“Thanks to this negotiation, 95 Russian soldiers were released,” announced the Russian Ministry of Defense. “In return, 95 Ukrainians prisoners of war were released.” The exchange has not yet been confirmed by Ukrainian authorities.
The ministry, in a post on the messaging app Telegram, said that the returning Russian soldiers underwent medical examinations in Belarus, one of Russia’s closest allies in the war that has lasted more than two and a half years.
Last month last exchange
The two camps have already exchanged hundreds of prisoners since the start of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, following agreements negotiated through the Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.
The last exchange was last month, involving 206 prisoners on each side.
Earlier today, Ukrainian authorities claimed to have recovered the bodies of 501 Ukrainian soldiers who fell on battlefields, mainly in eastern Ukraine.
Russian lawmaker Samsail Saraliyev told Russian news network RBK that Russia recovered the bodies of 89 soldiers in return.
Sources: AMPE, AFP, Reuters