Russia and Ukraine have conducted a large-scale prisoner exchange involving hundreds of soldiers, according to the Russian defense ministry.
In a deal mediated by the United Arab Emirates, Russia exchanged 150 Ukrainian soldiers for an equal number of Russian troops.
The released Russian soldiers were transported to Belarus, a close ally of Moscow, where they received medical care and the opportunity to contact their families, the ministry stated.
Ukraine has yet to issue an official statement on the swap.
This marks the 11th prisoner exchange between the two nations this year, with previous negotiations reportedly becoming more challenging.
Petro Yatsenko, from Ukraine’s Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, previously told the BBC that talks with Moscow had grown more difficult as Russian forces achieved significant advances on the battlefield.
While Ukraine has not disclosed the number of its soldiers held by Russia, estimates suggest the figure exceeds 8,000.
The rise in battlefield captures has sparked concerns about the increasing number of Ukrainian soldiers falling into Russian custody.
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