The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has negotiated a prisoner exchange that led to the release of hundreds of Ukrainian and Russian soldiers, officials reported on Monday.
The negotiations resulted in the release of 150 Russian and 150 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
This brings the number of soldiers freed due to the UAE’s efforts to 2,484.
“Notably, since the beginning of this year, the UAE’s efforts have succeeded in completing 10 exchanges of war captives between Russia and Ukraine, in addition to a successful exchange of two prisoners between the United States and the Russian Federation in December 2022,” the UAE said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X about the exchange, “The return of our people from Russian captivity is always very good news for all of us.”
However, Zelenskyy celebrated the return of 189 soldiers, a difference in number that hasn’t been clarified.
“Today is one of those days—our team has managed to bring 189 Ukrainians back home,” he said.
Among those returned, he added, are military personnel such as soldiers, sergeants, and officers.
“These are National Guardsmen, including Azov fighters, border guards, territorial defense forces, and servicemen of the Navy and Armed Forces,” he said. “Two civilians captured in Mariupol have also been freed.”
Zelenskyy said no one will be forgotten in the future missions to free everyone in Russian captivity and thanked the UAE for its assistance.
Russia’s Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian soldiers were taken to the Republic of Belarus, bordered by and allied with Russia, for “psychological and medical treatment.”
Since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, there have been several prisoner exchanges.
The most recent was in October when the UAE mediated the release of 190 captives in its effort to “find a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine, stressing the importance of dialogue and de-escalation.” It did not specify how many soldiers were released on each side.
The U.S. Department of Defense announced on Dec. 30 that it would be sending $5.9 billion to Ukraine for military support, including $2.5 billion for security assistance and $3.4 billion in direct budget support.
“The Department of Defense is in the process of delivering hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, thousands of rockets, and hundreds of armored vehicles, which will strengthen Ukraine’s hand as it heads into winter,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. “At my direction, the United States will continue to work relentlessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in this war over the remainder of my time in office.”
The Associated Press and Chase Smith contributed to this report.
