MOSCOW, Feb 09 (Al Jazeera): Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 100 prisoners of war (POWs) each following mediation by the United Arab Emirates.
In announcing the exchange as a "success", the Gulf nation's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that it was its third mediation effort between Moscow and Kyiv since December as it called for dialogue and de-escalation. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country "will make every effort to continue prisoner exchanges", in a Friday post on X. Russia's Ministry of Defence, in a post on Telegram, noted the UAE's "humanitarian mediation".
So far, 3,135 Ukrainian POWs have been freed from Russian captivity, Zelenskyy said on social media on Thursday night.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the intelligence directorate at the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, urged Ukrainians to disregard scepticism about the time involved in a complicated process.
"As you can see, it has taken a bit of time, but the only thing that matters is the result.
Russia, Ukraine exchange 100 prisoners each after mediation
FE Team | Published: February 09, 2024 21:49:41
Russia, Ukraine exchange 100 prisoners each after mediation
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