Russia and Ukraine exchange record numbers of prisoners of war
Russia and Ukraine announced on Wednesday the mutual release of hundreds of prisoners of war, the largest exchange between the two countries since the war began and the first in months.
The major deal was made possible “thanks to the humanitarian intervention of the United Arab Emirates,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that 234 of its soldiers had returned from Ukrainian captivity. In Ukraine, the exchange was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky, who said: a post on the X platform, 213 Ukrainian soldiers and sergeants, 11 officers and six civilians had returned.
“We remember each of our people,” Mr. Zelensky said in his post. “And we have to give them all back.”
Kyrylo Budanov, the director of Ukraine’s intelligence service, described the exchange as a “very complex” deal that took a long time to negotiate. In a video statementMr Budanov said the UAE was directly involved in the process. He said those released as part of the deal included a military doctor, border guards, police officers and defenders of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, who were captured by Russia at the start of the war almost two years ago.
The exchange was a rare example of agreement between the governments in Moscow and Kiev. It came against the unlikely backdrop of a escalating cycle of air strikes between the two countriesas both sides look for ways to wreak havoc beyond the largely gridlocked front line.
On Wednesday, Russia said Ukraine had attacked the Belgorod region, which borders Ukraine, with missiles and drones, just a day after Moscow launched a large-scale airstrike on the Ukrainian capital Kiev and other cities. said Mr. Zelensky on Tuesday that Russia had launched around 300 missiles and more than 200 attack drones against Ukraine since Friday.
Direct communication between the countries has been rare since the early days of the war, but the two sides have regularly exchanged prisoners of war through deals brokered by a third party such as the UAE or Turkey. However, the figure fell in 2023 after the release in Turkey of five former commanders of the Ukrainian garrison at the Azovstal steel plant angered Moscow. The last prisoner exchange between the two countries took place in August, when 22 Ukrainian soldiers were returned.
In recent years, Russia and the UAE have gradually become closer politically and economically. In December, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia made a high-profile visit to the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi.
Mr. Zelensky shared it multiple to inform on social media with photos and videos of the prisoners, draped in Ukrainian flags, hugging each other while clenching their fists. “Ukraine above all!” they shout in a video.
“Today, despite all the challenges, is the best news in a long time,” Mr. Zelensky said in a speech. short video address. “There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations.”
Many people in Ukraine have campaigned for the return of prisoners of war, especially those captured during the battle of Azovstal, the sprawling steel mill that became Ukraine’s last stronghold in the besieged southeastern city of Mariupol in the early months of the war. In Kiev, a large banner reading “Azov Valley, Free Mariupol Defenders” has been attached to the facade of the local city council.