Russia and Ukraine exchange 115 detainees each

115 captives of war from each party were exchanged on Saturday between Russia and Ukraine, with the United Arab Emirates serving as an intermediary.

It is the first such exchange since Ukraine launched a surprise assault into Russia’s Kursk region on Aug. 6, which was the largest attack by a foreign power inside Russian territory since World War 2.

Captured in the Kursk region, the Russian servicemen that were exchanged were reported by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The medical treatment and rehabilitation of all liberated Russian soldiers will be provided upon their return to Russia. Currently, they are in Belarus.

The ministry expressed appreciation for the UAE’s assistance in facilitating the prisoner exchange.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the President of Ukraine, shared a photograph of Ukrainian POWs wrapped in the blue and yellow flags of their nation and embracing one another. The servicemen who returned, according to him, were from the armed forces, navy, national guard, and border police.

The Ukrainian forces were thanked by Zelenskiy for their assistance in replenishing the pool of detainees available for exchange.

According to Kyiv, a buffer zone has been established in an area that Russia has been employing to bombard targets in Ukraine. In February 2022, Russia deployed tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine.

The port of Mariupol was defended by 82 of the returned Ukrainians in 2022, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s commissioner for human rights.

According to the UAE foreign ministry, the total number of captives exchanged through its mediation efforts has reached 1,788. This confirms its role in facilitating the exchange.

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, this is the seventh such exchange that the UAE has facilitated. Earlier, an Emirati official informed Reuters that the Gulf state would facilitate the exchange of detainees between Russia and Ukraine.

Some Western officials have been frustrated by Abu Dhabi’s cordial relations with Moscow, despite its status as a close security partner of the United States, during the conflict. In addition, it has fortified its relationship with Kyiv.

UAE officials assert that their capacity to communicate with a diverse array of international actors enables them to effectively facilitate negotiations between parties and foster security and cooperation.