Russian troops after an exchange in an unknown location in the Belgorod region Photo: PRESS SERVICE OF THE RUSSIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE/HANDOUT/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Russia's Defense Ministry said 195 of its soldiers had been released, and Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said 207 people, both soldiers and civilians, had returned to Ukraine.
“Our people have returned—207 of them . We are returning them home, no matter what,” Zelensky wrote on the social network.
The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that “195 Russian servicemen… were returned home.”
According to Moscow, the exchange was carried out through the mediation of the United Arab Emirates, which played a role in previous exchanges.
The liberated Ukrainians include those who fought in Mariupol and on Snake Island. Photo: Press Service of the President of Ukraine/Handout/REUTERS
Ukraine reported that the youngest soldier to return home was 20 years old, and the oldest was 61 years old.
The freed Ukrainians include those who fought in Mariupol and on Snake Island, an overgrown rock in the Black Sea made famous when troops stationed there radioed expletive-laden messages to Russian attackers.
The announcement of the exchange comes amid a flurry of statements and photographs released simultaneously by Moscow and Kiev — contrasted with the rhetoric surrounding the disaster last week.
'Playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners'
Mr Zelensky accused Moscow of 'playing with the lives of Ukrainian prisoners', with Moscow saying Ukraine committed a “terrorist act.”
Uncertainty remains after a Russian plane crashed in a fireball in the western Belgorod region on January 24.
Uncertainty remains.
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Moscow says it transported 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war en route for a planned exchange.
Last week, Putin said Kyiv knew dozens of its soldiers could be on board. Ukraine rejected this accusation.
Ukraine has not denied Moscow's version of events, but has questioned whether captured Ukrainian soldiers were on board and said Moscow never did so. said in advance that the prisoners of war would be flown close to the border.
Officials in Kiev called on Moscow to release photographs of the bodies of dead prisoners of war or provide other evidence to support its claims.
Wednesday's exchange, which took place a week after the plane was shot down was the 50th exchange between the two sides since Russia's invasion in February 2022, Kyiv said.
Ukraine said more than 3,000 prisoners of war have been returned so far. . A similar number of Russians have also been released, with most exchanges occurring on a one-to-one basis.
Thousands of people who were captured or surrendered during the nearly two-year war are still believed to be in custody. captivity.
On the battlefield, both sides reported ongoing battles for territory along the entire vast front line.
Alexander Shtupun, a Ukrainian army spokesman, said forces were “firmly defending” in the eastern Donetsk region.< /p>
“The enemy is not stopping trying to encircle Avdiivka,” he said in an interview with state television.
p>Russian troops are trying to seize a strategic city that Ukrainians see as a symbol of resistance — for months.
On Wednesday, Putin appeared to confirm Russia was closing in on the city, saying Moscow troops had seized 19 houses in its outskirts.
The troops opened fire. a barrage of drones and missiles across Ukraine overnight in another round of aerial bombing.
On the diplomatic front, Kiev is hoping for a breakthrough this week in securing €50bn (£42.6bn) in aid from EU
EU leaders will meet on Thursday to discuss support for Kiev, hoping to reach a final agreement on a four-year bailout package that was blocked by Hungary last year.
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