Moscow, Aug 24 (EFE).– Russia and Ukraine exchanged 230 prisoners of war on Saturday, following a Ukrainian border raid in the Kursk region.
The exchange was facilitated by the humanitarian mediation of the United Arab Emirates, which has previously acted as a mediator in similar situations.
“In exchange, 115 soldiers have been handed over to the Ukrainian army,” the Russian defense ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed that “another 115 of our defenders have returned home.”
“These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.”
He said the nation ed everyone. “We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.”
Zelenskyy thanked the UAE “for bringing our people back home.”
The 115 freed Russian prisoners are now reportedly in Belarus, where they are undergoing medical and psychological evaluations.
Telegram channels and military bloggers report that the Russian prisoners were conscripts serving in the military when Ukrainian troops entered Kursk on Aug 6. The fact that many of those captured were recruits has sparked outrage among their mothers and human rights organizations.
The Russian border is guarded by the Federal Security Service, but due to its failure to ensure security, the Ministry of Defence has established three new military formations in the Kursk, Belgorod, and Bryansk regions.
As the war in Ukraine reaches its two-and-a-half-year mark on Saturday, the Russian army has yet to expel enemy troops from the Kursk region. EFE
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