Russia And Ukraine Again Exchange War Prisoners With UAE Mediation

JAKARTA - Russia and Ukraine exchanged 146 prisoners of war from each side on Sunday after mediation by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Defense Ministry of Russia and the President of Ukraine said.

"On August 24 this year, 146 Russian soldiers have been repatriated from the territory controlled by the Kyiv regime. In return, 146 prisoners of the war of the Ukrainian army have been removed. In addition, eight citizens of the Russian Federation, residents of the Kursk Region who were illegally detained by the Kiev regime, have been repatriated and will be repatriated," read a statement by the Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted from TASS August 25.

The Russian ministry said all Russian citizens released were in Belarus to receive psychological and medical assistance, quoted by Reuters.

All Russian soldiers will be repatriated to Russia, where they will undergo treatment and rehabilitation at the Ministry of Defense's medical institution, according to the ministry.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, through the messaging app Telegram, announced the exchange had occurred, but gave no exact figures.

The president posted photos of smiling prisoners of war, saying most of them had been carried out since 2022, when Russia invaded its neighboring country. He said a journalist who tackled a month after the invasion was among those released.

President Zelensky thanked the United Arab Emirates for its role in mediating the exchange.

"The exchange continues. Maybe it is possible because our army, which increases the exchange fund for Ukraine," the president wrote, referring to the arrest of Russian soldiers.

The Ukrainian military issued a statement confirming a total of 146 detainees from each side had been exchanged.

Meanwhile, Vladimir Medinsky, who has led the Russian delegation in three rounds of negotiations over settlements in Turkey since May, said Ukraine was slow to repatriate civilians to Kursk.

He said more than 20 residents were waiting to return home.

"Three months have passed and residents of the Kursk region have not been repatriated, but exchanged into small groups with some of the people needed by Ukraine," he wrote on Telegram.

"Russia is involved in the difficult bargaining to repatriate civilians," he added.