Ukraine And Russia Exchange Thousands of Prisoners in Biggest Swap So Far

Ukraine and Russia have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, in what is being described by officials in Kyiv as the biggest swap of the war.

Ukraine said 230 prisoners, including serving members of the armed forces and border guard, had been freed from Russian captivity.

In exchange, 248 Russians were released by Ukraine in the deal, mediated by the United Arab Emirates.

Ukraine said their freed soldiers included seven defenders of snake island.

Others released included national guardsmen captured at the Chernobyl exclusion zone and soldiers detained during the battle for the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

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Last month, Ukraine said it had freed some 2,598 people from Russian captivity during a process of 48 swaps.

Neither side had announced an exchange in almost five months, prompting Kyiv to accuse Moscow of deliberately blocking deals for political reasons.

There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations, Zelensky said in a later message, hailing the swap as good news.

Moscow’s defence ministry said 248 of its servicemen had been returned, and that they were being provided with “medical and psychological assistance.

The UAE said the deal reflected its trong friendly relations with both Russia and Ukraine.