Russia and Ukraine Exchange 103 Prisoners Each
The exchange is the eighth this year, mediated by the UAE. Released Russian soldiers were transferred to Belarus for medical checks before returning home.
The exchange is the eighth this year, mediated by the UAE. Released Russian soldiers were transferred to Belarus for medical checks before returning home.
Russia and Ukraine conducted a new exchange of prisoners of war on Wednesday, on a 103-for-103 basis, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The United Arab Emirates mediated the exchange, which is the eighth since the start of the year.
Russia brought back 103 of its soldiers from Ukrainian captivity, 31 of whom were wounded. In return, 103 prisoners of war from the Armed Forces of Ukraine were handed over to Ukraine. The released Russian soldiers are currently in Belarus, where they will undergo necessary medical procedures before being transported to Russia for rehabilitation in military hospitals.
Ukrainian soldiers returning from captivity were greeted by officials with national flags, and many broke down in tears when they were able to speak with their families for the first time in a long while. Yevhenii Ambrosymov, who had been held captive for eight months, said through tears after a phone call with his father: "I'm happy. I want to hug my parents as soon as possible... and my children... I have no words." Anton Tymofienko, who spent 28 months in captivity, recounted that prisoners were almost completely isolated from the outside world, receiving only censored letters from family. "The most we got were letters from relatives... Otherwise, we had no information," he said. Dmytro, a 29-year-old who was held for three years, said: "This is a beautiful day. I'm home. I didn't do anything heroic and I don't consider myself special. I want to tell the families of those still in captivity: keep believing and don't lose hope. Your husbands, sons, and brothers will come home, and everything will be fine." Some of the released soldiers had been in captivity for up to three years, and Ukrainian civilians lined the roads, waving flags and applauding.
At the Belarus-Ukraine border, in the town of Nova Huta, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Lubinets met on Wednesday. Their meeting took place at the same location where the prisoner exchange was carried out earlier in the day, TASS reported.
The previous exchange took place at the end of June, when 160 people returned home. That exchange was part of a larger "1000-for-1000" format that began in May, and after the June rounds, there was a nearly two-month pause.
According to available information, within the framework of the large exchange announced by Donald Trump in the spring, about 350 people still need to be released. After that, new lists will need to be compiled to bring back all remaining prisoners.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Telegram that among those returned were members of the Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, and the National Guard. The head of Ukraine's military intelligence, Oleh Ivashchenko, announced that another exchange is expected before the end of the month. "In the next exchange, we expect the return of defenders who have been in captivity for a long time, including those who defended Mariupol," he said.
