Russian and Ukrainian exchanged prisoners of war on Saturday in a swap of 175 from each side mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy confirmed the exchange — the third so far this year — in a post on social media.
Most of the Ukrainian POWs returned from Russia had been in captivity since 2022, Zelenskiy said, and included members of the armed forces, the national guard and border guard, as well as seven civilians.
Russia's defense mininstry commented on the swap in a statement reported by Interfax. The returned soldiers are currently in Belarus and receiving medical and psychological assistance, the ministry said.
Russia and Ukraine conducted the swap ahead of a planned 32-hour ceasefire, declared by Russian President Vladimir Putin for Orthodox Easter. The ceasefire is due to start at 4 p.m. Moscow time on Saturday and last through April 12.
Zelenskiy said Ukraine will “mirror” Russia's actions and respond “strictly in kind” to anything it sees as a violation of the pact.
Kyiv and Moscow have conducted more than 70 prisoner swaps since the start of the Russian full-scale invasion in February 2022, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the country's main agency dealing with exchanges. Many were carried out with mediation from Turkey and Gulf countries.
Ukraine and Russia last exchanged prisoners in early March following US-led peace talks in Geneva, swapping 500 on each side over two days.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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