On February 9, Reuters reported that the United Arab Emirates (UAE) confirmed the success of an agreement to broker an exchange of 100 prisoners each between Russia and Ukraine.
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| After nearly two years of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, there have been 50 prisoner exchanges between the two sides. (Source: saudigazette) |
In a post on its Telegram page, the Russian Defense Ministry noted the UAE’s “humanitarian mediation role.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Ukraine’s agency overseeing the prisoner exchange also made similar statements.
The UAE Foreign Ministry said this was the third mediation effort between Russia and Ukraine in 2024, calling for diplomatic solutions, dialogue and de-escalation.
Earlier, on January 31, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 195 Russian soldiers were released by Ukraine in a prisoner exchange on the same day. Russia also released a corresponding number of Ukrainian prisoners of war at an undisclosed location.
“Russian air force transport planes will take them to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation,” the ministry said, referring to a prisoner swap brokered by the UAE that was supposed to take place on January 24.
Meanwhile, President Zelensky said Kiev received 207 people, including 27 officers and 180 soldiers.
There have been 50 prisoner exchanges between the two sides since the conflict began in February 2022, with Ukrainian officials confirming that more than 3,000 of their soldiers have been released. Russia has not released a total number, but it is believed that at least 1,200 soldiers have returned.
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