KYIV: Russia and Ukraine announced Saturday (Aug 24) they had exchanged 115 prisoners of war each, just over two weeks after Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region.
The exchange came as Kyiv mounts its offensive in Kursk and as Russia eyes more east Ukrainian towns. It also came on Ukrainian Independence Day.
Both countries thanked the United Arab Emirates, who said it mediated the swap deal.
“Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. These are soldiers of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, the State Border Guard Service,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
He published photographs of men wrapped in Ukrainian flags.
Kyiv had said it had taken hundreds of Russian soldiers captive in its Kursk incursion launched on Aug 6.
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