
In a swap facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, this is the fifth transfer of this year, Russia and Ukraine exchanged 190 prisoners overall.
According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, it received 95 Russian prisoners and 95 of its own military officers. The UAE provided “humanitarian counseling” for the transfer, the department said in a speech Wednesday on Telegram. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, president of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude for the exchange in a separate article on Telegram.
With UAE assistance, the total amount of victims released this year is nearly 1,400, according to the deal. The Gulf state has facilitated numerous exchanges, including one between Russia and Ukraine and Russia and the United States. It provided administrative support and the location of the exchange when, in December 2022, Moscow offered Brittney Griner to a convicted arms supplier.
Vladimir Putin, the president, claimed that Russia was holding 1, 348 Russians and that Ukraine’s security forces were also holding 6, 465 Russian prisoners of war in early June.
___
© 2024 Bloomberg L. P
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.