The United Arab Emirates acted as a mediator in the negotiations, which were characterized as complex.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that 248 Russian prisoners of war have returned to their homeland from Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi reported accordingly that more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers have been released from Russia.
– Ours are at home, Zelenskyi commented on the messaging service Instagram and attached a video of the released prisoners of war.
It is the largest single exchange of prisoners in the war between Russia and Ukraine, Ukrainian newspaper The Kyiv Independent reports.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the prisoners were exchanged at the end of complex negotiations.
Several prisoner exchanges
The United Arab Emirates, which has repeatedly taken on the role of mediator in international politics in recent years, acted as a mediator between the warring parties.
More than a year ago, Russia and the United States reached an agreement on the exchange of prisoners, also in negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates.
American basketball player who was imprisoned in Russia at the time Brittney Griner the arms dealer was changed To Viktor Bout.
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged prisoners of war several times during the almost two-year war.
For example, in April 2023, each country handed over about a hundred prisoners, i.e. a couple of hundred prisoners were exchanged in total.
Sources: Reuters, AP
Article updated on 3 January 2024 at 19:45. Added information that this is the largest single prisoner exchange of the war.