Russia and Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners of war a week after deadly plane crash

The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russia and Ukraine have successfully exchanged 195 prisoners of war amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Kiev: The Russian Defense Ministry said Russia and Ukraine successfully exchanged 195 prisoners of war on Wednesday amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. The information came a week before Russian claims that Ukrainian forces had shot down a military transport plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be exchanged for Russian prisoners of war.

Ukrainian missile reportedly shot down a Russian transport plane

The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that missiles were fired from across the border and that on January 24, the Russian military transport plane was shot down in Russia's Belgorod region. Belgorod local authorities said the plane crash killed all 74 people on board, which included six crew members. members and three Russian soldiers.

Ukrainian officials also confirmed last week that the POW swap would take place, but was later called off.

Highlights of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine

This major development came months before the war between Russia and Ukraine that began in February 2022, when the Russian army invaded Ukraine, ahead of the country's reported joining of the North Atlantic Treaty Organizations (NATO), which sees Russia as a threat to them considered.

According to the NEW York Times report, prior to the ongoing war of several months between Russia and Ukraine, more than 5,00,000 causalities have been reported so far and it also states that “the number of casualties remains difficult to estimate because it is Moscow routinely underestimates its war dead and wounded, and Kiev does not release official figures.”