By Olena Harmash
KYIV (Reuters) -Russia and Ukraine carried out a significant alternate of 206 prisoners on Saturday, 103 apiece, of their second such swap in two days, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, officers mentioned.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy credited the discharge of the prisoners to his forces’ latest incursion into Russia. The launched Ukrainians — 82 troopers and privates and 21 officers — had been held for the reason that early months of the conflict, he mentioned.
The Russian Defence Ministry mentioned that the 103 Russian troopers exchanged had been taken prisoner within the border Kursk area the place Ukrainian forces launched the shock incursion in August.
“Our persons are dwelling,” Zelenskiy mentioned on the Telegram messaging app. “We now have efficiently introduced again one other 103 warriors from Russian captivity to Ukraine.”
In his nightly video handle, he thanked his fight forces for his or her braveness and the staff dealing with the exchanges. “Particularly, our operation within the Kursk area gave a vital increase,” he added.
Zelenskiy posted footage of servicemen wrapped within the nationwide blue and yellow flag, hugging one another, speaking on cell phones and posing for group pictures at an undisclosed location.
In his video handle, he mentioned these launched included troopers who fought to defend the town of Mariupol. The Azov brigade, which took half within the three-month defence of the port in 2022, mentioned in a put up on its Telegram channel that 23 of its males have been among the many captives launched on Saturday.
The alternate was mediated by the UAE, Emirati state information company WAM mentioned. It was the nation’s eighth such mediation for the reason that begin of 2024, it mentioned.
Kyiv and Moscow have steadily exchanged prisoners since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, and Saturday’s swap was the third since Ukraine started a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk area in early August.
Ukrainian officers have beforehand mentioned Kyiv’s forces had captured not less than 600 Russian troopers throughout the incursion, and that this is able to assist it safe the return of captured Ukrainians.
Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman mentioned that Kyiv had thus far secured the return of three,672 Ukrainians in 57 exchanges.
