Russia and Ukraine exchange 206 detainees in their second exchange in two days

206 detainees were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine on Saturday, the second such exchange in two days, according to officials. The negotiations were mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, all 103 Ukrainians who returned were military personnel, including 82 soldiers and privates and 21 officers.

The 103 Russian soldiers that were exchanged were taken prisoner in the frontier Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion in August, according to the Russian Defense Ministry.

Zelenskiy declared on the Telegram messaging app that “our people are home.” “We have successfully brought back another 103 warriors from Russian captivity to Ukraine.”

At an undisclosed location, Zelenskiy shared images of servicemen embracing, conversing on mobile phones, and posing for group photographs while draped in the national blue and yellow flag.

Emirati state news agency WAM reported that the UAE served as the intermediary in the exchange. It was the eighth mediation of this nature conducted by the nation since the inception of 2024, according to the source.

Since Russia’s invasion in February 2022, Kyiv and Moscow have frequently exchanged detainees. Saturday’s exchange was the third since Ukraine initiated a cross-border incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in early August.

At least 600 Russian soldiers were captured by Ukrainian forces during the incursion, according to Ukrainian officials. They have previously stated that this would facilitate the return of captured Ukrainians.

The majority of the Ukrainians who were liberated had been in Russian captivity since the early days of the invasion, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman.

He uploaded a brief video to the Telegram messaging app, which depicted the servicemen standing in front of a bus and chanting “Glory to Ukraine.”

Lubinets reported that Kyiv had accomplished the return of 3,672 Ukrainians in 57 exchanges thus far.