Ukraine repatriates 189 prisoners of war in an exchange deal with Russia

Ukraine and Russia conducted a new prisoner-of-war exchange on Monday, with Kiev repatriating 189 former prisoners, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday.

Zelensky thanked the United Arab Emirates and other partners for facilitating the exchange.

“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for each of us. Today is one of those days: our team was able to bring 189 Ukrainians home,” Zelensky said via the Telegram messaging app.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced the prisoner exchange earlier on Monday, saying both sides had released 150 prisoners of war. There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the reported numbers.

Watch | Return of prisoners of war to their homeland:

Hundreds of soldiers return to their homeland as part of a prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war on Monday, with Kiev repatriating 189 former prisoners, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that at least 150 of its soldiers would return to their homeland as part of the deal.

Zelensky said that the returning Ukrainians include soldiers, sergeants and officers from various areas on the front lines, in addition to two civilians who were captured in the southern port of Mariupol, which was captured by Russian forces in 2022.

Photos posted by Zelensky showed dozens of men sitting on a bus, some draped in the blue and yellow Ukrainian national flag.

“We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity,” Zelensky said in a statement. “We don’t forget anyone.”

Zelensky said that among those released from Russian captivity were defenders of Snake Island off the port of Odessa on the Black Sea, which Russia seized in the first days of its invasion, in addition to forces that defended the city of Mariupol, which Moscow seized. Troops early in the war after a siege of nearly three months.

In Moscow, the Defense Ministry said that Russian soldiers were first transferred to the territory of Russia’s neighbor and ally Belarus, where they received “psychological and medical assistance” before moving to Russia.

Russia and Ukraine conducted dozens of prisoner exchanges during the war that has been going on for nearly three years.

The prisoner exchange came as US President Joe Biden announced on Monday that the United States would send nearly US$2.5 billion in weapons to Ukraine, as his administration quickly works to spend all the money it has to help Kiev fight Russia ahead of President-elect Donald Trump. He takes office.