By Enyichukwu Enemanna
Russia and Ukraine have swapped 103 prisoners each in their latest wartime exchange, which has the United Arab Emirates serving as chief mediator.
The latest deal creates room for another rare point of cooperation between the two sides as diplomatic efforts to end the conflict, currently in its fifth year, remain largely been unsuccessful.
The exchange of 103 captured soldiers between both sides on Wednesday is one of the latest prisoner swaps between Moscow and Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russian Defence Ministry said 103 Russian servicemen had been returned from Ukrainian captivity, while an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners were handed over to Russia.
Prisoner exchanges and the return of soldiers’ remains have remained one of the few areas where Moscow and Kyiv have maintained cooperation despite the continuing war.
The Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, according to the Russian Defence Ministry. They will receive psychological and medical assistance before being transported to Russia for rehabilitation at military hospitals.
The ministry said the United Arab Emirates provided humanitarian mediation for the exchange.
The Gulf state has played a prominent role in facilitating prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine since the war began.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the release of 103 Ukrainian soldiers, saying some of those returning had defended Mariupol during the prolonged Russian siege of the strategic port city in 2022.
He also said others had been captured in seven frontline regions. “Today, 103 Ukrainian warriors are returning home from Russian captivity,” Zelensky said, while pledging continued efforts to secure the release of those still being held.
