Key Points
- Ukraine and Russia exchanged almost 500 prisoners of war on Wednesday, in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
- It is the first prisoner swap in almost five months amid tense peace negotiations.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed the swap as "good news".
Ukraine and Russia revealed an exchange of over two hundred captive soldiers each on Wednesday, in what officials have described as the biggest prisoner swap of the war so far.
The two warring sides have carried out dozens of exchanges since Moscow invaded in February 2022, but the process stalled in the latter half of last year.
In near-simultaneous statements, Russia and Ukraine announced they had received over 200 soldiers each following talks mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
"More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity," Zelenskyy said on Telegram, posting a video of uniformed men celebrating.
Neither side had announced an exchange in almost five months, prompting Kyiv to accuse Moscow of deliberately blocking deals for political reasons.
"There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations," Zelenskyy said in a later message, hailing the swap as "good news".
Moscow's defence ministry said 248 of its servicemen had been returned, and that they were being provided with "medical and psychological assistance".
Some of the Ukrainians had been held since 2022.
Among them were some of those who fought in milestone battles for Ukraine's Snake Island and the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
The UAE said the deal reflected its "strong friendly relations" with both Russia and Ukraine. Neither side has disclosed how many prisoners remain in their custody.
Frontline strikes continue despite swap
Ukraine launched repeated missile and drone attacks on Wednesday on Russia's southern region of Belgorod, according to Russia's defence ministry and local authorities.
Regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said the situation "continues to remain tense" in Belgorod, where Russia says 25 civilians including five children were killed in Ukrainian attacks on Saturday.
There was no word of any casualties from the latest attacks.
Later, Gladkov said authorities were relocating residents near potentially unexploded munitions, with sappers called in to evaluate the danger.
Russia vowed to retaliate after Ukraine's "indiscriminate" attack on Belgorod. Credit: EPA
Ukraine said on Tuesday that Russia had launched more than 300 attack drones and missiles of various kinds at cities across Ukraine since Friday.
Belgorod, like other Russian regions on the border with Ukraine, has faced frequent low-level attacks since the start of the war but Saturday's was by far the deadliest.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said it would "not go unpunished".
