Russia and Ukraine swap 115 prisoners each in UAE-mediated exchange

It is the first such exchange since Ukraine launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 115 prisoners of war from each side, both countries confirmed, with the United Arab Emirates acting as an intermediary.

“The UAE has successfully mediated a new captives exchange between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, resulting in the release of 230 captives,” the Gulf country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday.

It was the UAE’s seventh mediation effort this year between the two countries, the ministry said in a statement.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 115 Ukrainian POWs were returned from Russia, Russia confirmed that 115 of its servicemen captured in the Kursk region during Ukraine’s ongoing incursion were released.

Both sides have carried out periodic prisoner swaps via intermediaries since the war began nearly two years ago, despite the absence of any peace talks between them since the early months of the conflict.

This was the first such swap since Ukraine shocked Russia by crossing the border into Kursk on August 6.

One of the biggest exchanges was on January 3, when the warring countries traded a total of 478 captives following mediation by the UAE.

The UAE ministry said that the total number of captives exchanged through its mediation efforts now stood at 1,788.

Zelenskyy said those freed included members of the country’s national guard, the armed forces and the navy.

“We remember everyone,” he said in a post on X. “We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.”

Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.

We remember everyone. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.

I am grateful to each… pic.twitter.com/XiMAeANsOd

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2024

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s commissioner for human rights, said 82 of the returned Ukrainians had defended the southeastern port city of Mariupol in 2022, which Russia took control of.

The latest exchange was announced as Ukraine on Saturday celebrated its 33rd independence day from the Soviet Union amid the protracted conflict.

Russia wanted to “destroy” Ukraine but war has “returned to its home”, Zelenskyy said in an independence day video address.

Ukraine’s offensive in Kursk is one of the most significant cross-border attacks since the war began in 2022.

Despite the incursion, Russia continues to make advances in eastern Ukraine.