Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 206 servicemen in a major prisoner exchange; the United Arab Emirates mediated the agreement. The release of 103 Russian soldiers, who were mainly taken prisoner during a Ukrainian invasion into the Kursk region last month, has been announced by the Russian Ministry of Defense. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said in the meantime that 103 Ukrainians, including officers and enlistees from various defense formations, had returned home.
The detainees participating in the August trade were also taken during the Kursk offensive. This exchange comes after that one. The purpose of Ukraine’s strike in the area was to deflect Russian forces from their eastern operations. Prisoner exchanges have been an element of both nations’ larger war plan for some time now.
During the conversation, Russia claimed to be in possession of the Donbas region’s Zhelanne Pershe village and announced advances in eastern Ukraine. Due to its proximity to vital transportation links that aid Ukraine’s military activities, the area is strategically significant.