Ukraine and Russia carried out a fresh prisoner-of-war exchange on Friday, with both sides returning 193 captured personnel in a swap facilitated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
“It is important that there are exchanges and that our people are returning home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a Telegram post.
Ukraine’s military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov and Russia’s defence ministry both confirmed the involvement of Washington and Abu Dhabi in mediating the deal.
Since the start of the war, the two countries have conducted numerous prisoner swaps, resulting in thousands of captives being returned on both sides.
Zelensky said the released Ukrainians included soldiers, border guards and police officers. Some had been injured during captivity, while others had faced criminal charges in Russia.
Scenes in Ukraine showed emotional reunions, as returning prisoners stepped off buses draped in national flags, many visibly overwhelmed.
“It still hasn’t sunk in that I’m home. I was in captivity for three years… our Ukrainian sky, our trees — this is happiness,” said Serhiy, a freed soldier who shared only his first name.
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