This handout photo released on September 14, 2024 shows Ukrainian POWs following an exchange, amid the Russian attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. | Photo credit: Ukrainian Presidential Press Service
Moscow and Kiev on Saturday (September 14, 2024) swapped 103 prisoners of war each in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, a rare moment of coordination between the two warring sides as Russia continues its crackdown in eastern Ukraine.
The Russians freed in the swap were captured during the Ukrainian incursion into the Kursk region, Moscow said, while some of the freed Ukrainians have been held captive since Moscow seized the Azovstal steel plant in May 2022.
“Another 103 soldiers have been sent back to Ukraine from Russian captivity,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram.
Among those released were 82 soldiers and sergeants and 21 officers, Mr. Zelenskyy said.
“The defenders of Kiev, Donetsk, Mariupol and Azovstal, Lugansk, Zaporizhia and Kharkov regions,” he added.
Russia confirmed that it had “handed over” 103 Ukrainian army prisoners and in return received 103 Russian soldiers captured by Kiev during the Kursk offensive.
“Currently, all Russian military personnel are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they receive the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as the opportunity to contact their relatives,” the Russian Defense Ministry said.
Despite ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine have managed to swap hundreds of prisoners during the two-and-a-half-year conflict – often in deals between the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.
The announcement comes a day after Zelensky said 49 Ukrainian prisoners of war had been returned from Russia, and three weeks ago the two sides swapped 115 prisoners each in a deal also brokered by the UAE.
The UAE Foreign Ministry called the deal a “success” and thanked both sides on Saturday for their cooperation.
Russian progress
The prisoner swap took place as Russia continues its push into eastern Ukraine, where it claims to have captured a series of villages in recent weeks.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said in a daily briefing that it had “liberated” the village of Zhelanne Pershe, less than 30 kilometers (19 miles) from the main Ukrainian-held logistics hub of Pokrovsk.
Located at the intersection of a major road supplying Ukrainian troops and towns on the Eastern Front, Pokrovsk has long been a target for Moscow’s military.
More than half of the city’s 60,000 residents have fled since the invasion began in February 2022. Evacuations have increased in recent weeks as Moscow’s army closes in.
Ukraine had hoped its major cross-border incursion into the Kursk region last month would slow Russia’s advance in the east.
On Friday, Zelensky said Moscow had slowed down somewhat, but admitted the situation on the eastern front was “very difficult.”
Russia, meanwhile, claimed this week to have regained some territory in the Kursk region as it appeared to mount a counter-offensive.
Rocket spat
Tensions between Russia and the West over the conflict reached dire levels this week amid British and American discussions about allowing Ukraine to use longer-range weapons to attack targets in Russia.
The talks came after a visit to Kiev by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and British counterpart David Lammy.
President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Thursday that the green light for the use of long-range weapons deep in Russia would put NATO’s military alliance “at war” with Moscow.
“This would change the nature of the conflict in a significant way,” Putin told a state television reporter.
“It would mean that NATO countries, the US and European countries are at war with Russia,” he added.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Joe Biden postponed a decision on the measure on Friday.
U.S. officials believe the missiles will make a limited difference to the Ukrainian campaign and also want to ensure that Washington’s own ammunition supplies are not depleted.
Published – Sep 14, 2024 11:07 PM IST
