Russia And Ukraine Conduct Another Swap Of Pows
Date
12/31/2024 2:08:46 AM
(MENAFN- AzerNews)
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war in the latest
such swap that saw the release of hundreds of captives and was
brokered with the help of the United Arab Emirates, officials said
Monday.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 189 Ukrainian
prisoners, including military personnel, border guards, and
national guards - along with two civilians - were freed. He thanked
the UAE for helping negotiate the exchange.
Russia's Defense Ministry said that 150 Russian soldiers were
freed from captivity as part of the exchange in which each side
released 150 people.
The reason for the discrepancy in numbers wasn't immediately
clear.
“We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity,”
Zelenskyy said in a statement.“We do not forget anyone.” He posted
pictures of Ukrainian soldiers sitting on a bus, some holding the
country's blue-and-yellow flags.
Zelenskyy said that those freed from Russian captivity included
defenders of the Snake Island off the Black Sea port of Odesa,
which was seized by Russia in the opening days of its invasion, as
well as troops who defended the city of Mariupol, that was captured
by Moscow's forces early in the war after a nearly three-month
siege.
“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very
good news for each of us,” Zelenskyy said.“And today is one of
those days: our team managed to return 189 Ukrainians home.”
In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said that Russian servicemen
were first taken to the territory of Russia's neighbor and ally
Belarus, where they received“psychological and medical assistance”
before moving to Russia.
Russia and Ukraine have conducted dozens of such prisoner
exchanges during the nearly three-year war.
The prisoner exchange came as President Joe Biden announced
Monday that the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion more in
weapons to Ukraine.
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