Russia and Ukraine exchange 103 POWs – MOD (VIDEO)
Russia and Ukraine have conducted another prisoner of war exchange, returning over a hundred servicemen to each side, the Defense Ministry in Moscow announced on Wednesday.
In a statement published on social media, the ministry said that “103 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime.” In exchange, 103 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war were transferred to Kiev.
The returned Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving psychological and medical assistance, according to the ministry. Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova is working with the freed soldiers.
Lantratova noted that of the 103 returned Russian soldiers, 31 are wounded. “Among those who returned are fathers of many children, and some are very young men,” she added.
The soldiers will later be transported to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation at Defense Ministry medical facilities.
During the exchange, Lantratova met Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmitry Lubinets. The two sides exchanged lists of missing persons, as well as letters from relatives for servicemen who remain in captivity. They also agreed to arrange the delivery of parcels to POWs held by both sides.
The exchange was carried out with humanitarian mediation from the United Arab Emirates, the ministry added.
The swap is the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kiev despite the ongoing conflict.
The previous exchange took place on June 26, when the two sides returned 160 servicemen each, also with UAE mediation. Earlier that month, Russia and Ukraine also exchanged 185 POWs each, while another 205 servicemen from each side were released in May.
Moscow and Kiev have also continued exchanging the bodies of fallen soldiers. The UAE has repeatedly acted as a mediator in humanitarian contacts between the two sides.
