Russia and Ukraine exchanged 230 prisoners of war on Saturday, captured by the Russians during the Ukrainian border raid in the Kursk region. “In exchange, 115 soldiers have been handed over to the Ukrainian army,” the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said in a statement.
The 115 freed Russian prisoners are now believed to be in Belarus, where they are undergoing medical and psychological tests.
The official statement said the exchange was made possible thanks to the humanitarian mediation of the United Arab Emirates, which had already mediated on previous occasions.
According to Telegram channels and military bloggers, the Russian prisoners are conscripts who were serving in the military when Ukrainian troops entered Kursk on August 6. The fact that many of the prisoners are conscripts has sparked outrage among their mothers and human rights organizations against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Russian border is guarded by the Federal Security Service, but in the face of its inability to ensure its security, the Ministry of Defense has created three new military formations in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions.
This new exchange coincides with the commemoration of the 33rd anniversary of Ukraine’s independence after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky shared images of the exchange on his X account and said: “Today, another 115 of our defenders, warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Guard Service have returned home. We remember them all. We are looking for them and doing everything possible to get them back.”
He concluded: “I thank every unit that replenishes our exchange fund. This helps advance the release of our military personnel and civilians from Russian captivity. I thank our team and our partners, the United Arab Emirates, for bringing our people back home.”
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