{"id":43729,"date":"2024-01-04T12:07:07","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T12:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/russia-and-ukraine-stage-major-pow-exchange-after-uae-mediation-the-express-tribune\/"},"modified":"2024-01-04T12:07:07","modified_gmt":"2024-01-04T12:07:07","slug":"russia-and-ukraine-stage-major-pow-exchange-after-uae-mediation-the-express-tribune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistaninewspaperlist.com\/news\/russia-and-ukraine-stage-major-pow-exchange-after-uae-mediation-the-express-tribune\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia and Ukraine stage major POW exchange after UAE mediation | The Express Tribune"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nKYIV:
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Ukraine and Russia on Wednesday announced their first exchange of prisoners of war in nearly five months, with more than 200 freed by each side after what both said was a complex negotiation involving mediation by the United Arab Emirates.<\/p>\n

Russia’s Defence Ministry said 248 military personnel had been handed over by Ukraine. Kyiv said it had brought home 230 people – 224 soldiers and six civilians – in what it said was the largest documented swap of troops so far.<\/p>\n

The UAE’s foreign ministry acknowledged its role, saying in a statement that the swap was made possible by its “strong friendly relations” with both Moscow and Kyiv.<\/p>\n

It offered both further humanitarian efforts and to find a peaceful solution to the war.<\/p>\n

A video released by Ukrainian authorities showed returning prisoners draped in the country’s blue and yellow flag filing off a bus, singing the national anthem and shouting the patriotic greeting “Glory to Ukraine”.<\/p>\n

Most, but not all, appeared to be in good health.<\/p>\n

One returnee shouted: “We are home! You didn’t forget us!”<\/p>\n

The Russian Ministry of Defence released a similar video of returning uniformed prisoners arriving in Belgorod in buses. “I’ll be home in five hours, roughly speaking, that’s going to be a joy,” said one unnamed man.<\/p>\n

Despite a lack of talks on how to end the 22-month war, Kyiv and Moscow have held many prisoner swaps since the early months of Russia’s invasion in February 2022.<\/p>\n

But the rate of the exchanges dropped in 2023 and the last one until this week’s was in August.<\/p>\n

Read\u00a0<\/strong>Ukraine claims to down three Russian fighter-bomber jets<\/a><\/p>\n

Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s HUR Military Intelligence agency, singled out the UAE’s “direct role”, saying: “After a significant amount of time, we managed to carry out a very difficult prisoner swap.”<\/p>\n

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was “truly a great day for Ukraine” and vowed to press on with further swaps facilitated by expanding what he called an “exchange fund” of captured Russian soldiers.<\/p>\n

“The more Russians we capture, the more effective the negotiations regarding swaps will be,” he said in his nightly video address.<\/p>\n

He said some of the returnees had been previously listed as missing.<\/p>\n

Ukraine’s returnees came from various branches of its armed forces and included participants in the nearly three-month defence of the\u00a0Azovstal steel plant\u00a0in the port of Mariupol before it was captured by Russian forces in May 2022.<\/p>\n

On the Russian side, a Defence Ministry statement said its released prisoners would undergo medical checks and treatment.<\/p>\n

Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Tatyana Moskalkova, thanked President Vladimir Putin and the military and intelligence services for their efforts in the exchange.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n