Each side released 150 prisoners of war, the Russian Defense Ministry has reported
Russian servicemen released from Ukrainian captivity in a bus at an unknown location in Belarus. © Sputnik / Russian Defence Ministry
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 150 prisoners of war each, the Defense Ministry in Moscow reported on Wednesday.
The freed Russian military personnel were transferred to Belarus, where they are receiving medical and psychological assistance, according to the ministry. The troops will continue their rehabilitation upon arriving in Russia in the near future, it added.
“On February 5, 150 Russian service members were returned from the territories controlled by the Kiev regime as a result of negotiations,” a statement released by Russian military officials reads.
The ministry credited the United Arab Emirates in helping organize the exchange.
Ukrainian leader Vladimir Zelensky also hailed the exchange, similarly expressing gratitude to Abu Dhabi for its assistance in a post on his Telegram channel.
A previous exchange saw the two sides release 25 prisoners each in mid-January. Prior to the new year, another 150 Russian and the same amount of Ukrainian captives returned to their respective countries.
The UAE mediated both POW exchanges.
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In December, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Kiev had turned down his offer to negotiate a major POW swap that would have involved some 700 service members from each side.
Moscow has previously accused Kiev of being reluctant to take its soldiers back from captivity.