Russia, Ukraine swap hundreds of prisoners in largest exchange since outbreak of war

MOSCOW

Moscow and Kyiv exchanged 246 prisoners of war each on Saturday, the largest since the outbreak of the war over three years ago, the Russian Defense Ministry announced.

According to a ministry statement, the Russian servicemen are currently receiving psychological and medical care in Belarus, and later will be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.

The ministry said that additionally, in a gesture of goodwill, the sides also swapped heavily wounded soldiers – 31 Ukrainians in exchange for 15 Russian servicemen.

The ministry commended the mediation efforts of the United Arab Emirates, which played a crucial role in facilitating the prisoner exchange, and expressed gratitude to its government for their significant humanitarian contributions.