A member of the Ukrainian White Angels Special Police Team drives a vehicle during an evacuation mission from the town of Avdiivka on April 10, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP)
Ukraine and Russia announced on Monday that each side had returned roughly 100 soldiers in the latest prisoner exchange. Kyiv and Moscow have periodically carried out swaps since Russia invaded Ukraine more than a year ago. “We are returning 100 of our people,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak wrote on Telegram. “They are military people, sailors, border guards, national guardsmen.” Yermak said the exchange included troops who had held out in Mariupol—the devastated port city captured by Russia last spring—and that some were “seriously injured.” He described the swap as “difficult” and thanked officials for “doing what may often seem impossible,” posting a video of women in uniform being greeted with flowers.
Moscow reported that it had returned 106 of its servicemen. “As a result of negotiations, 106 Russian soldiers were returned from territories under Kyiv control,” the Russian defence ministry said, adding that they would be flown to Moscow “for treatment and rehabilitation.” The ministry promised that all those freed would receive the necessary medical and psychological help.
The previous Russian‑Ukrainian prisoner exchange took place last month. On March 7, authorities announced that 130 Ukrainians were swapped for 90 Russian servicemen.
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