Russia and Ukraine confirm exchange of 103 more prisoners of war

Follow the latest news on the war in Ukraine live

September 14 () –

Russian and Ukrainian authorities announced on Wednesday the exchange of 103 of their respective military personnel who remained in captivity of the other side in a new agreement mediated by the government of the United Arab Emirates.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the exchange was carried out “as a result of a negotiation process” and added that the now-freed Russian soldiers had been captured during the Ukrainian incursion into the Russian province of Kursk, an operation that Kiev launched in early August.

Russian authorities have confirmed that they will release the same number of Ukrainian soldiers captured by Russian troops and have clarified that the Russian soldiers who benefited from the exchange are already in Belarus, where they are receiving medical care and can contact their families.

They are expected to be transferred to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation if necessary, Russian media reported.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has reported that 103 Ukrainian soldiers “are already at home.” He has thus clarified that all of them have defended kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv, among other areas of Ukraine. “Thank you to our team leading the negotiations for bringing us this good news,” he said.