Ukraine and Russia announced today their first close four months of exchange of prisoners of war, with 150 people released after negotiations with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, reported Reuters, quoted by BTA.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 75 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been returned from Russia. They include four civilians, while the rest are military.
The Russian Defense Ministry said it had handed over 75 people as part of the deal.
„After a long pause, another exchange of prisoners took place: 75 defenders and civilians were freed from enemy captivity,” reported the Ukrainian Coordinating Headquarters for Prisoner of War Issues.
Ukrainian officials said 19 defenders of Snake Island in the Black Sea, which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in the early days of the war when its Ukrainian defenders refused to surrender to Russian forces, have returned.
The Coordination Staff also reported that as part of the exchange, Russia handed over the bodies of 212 Ukrainian servicemen.