Russia, Ukraine swap 300 troops on second exchange day

Ukraine and Russia exchanged 300 soldiers each on the second day of the two-day prisoner exchange; Some of those released had been detained in the war since 2022.

This is the second prisoner of war exchange so far this year and follows the latest round of US-brokered peace talks between Ukraine and Russia.

On the first day of the exchange, the two countries exchanged 200 prisoners of war each on Thursday.

Commenting on Telegram on the second day of the exchange, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: “They defended Ukraine in various sectors in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson and Mariupol.” he said.

“Most of them had been in captivity for more than a year, some since 2022.”

Zelenskiy said that two Ukrainian civilians also returned home on Friday.

The Russian defense ministry said the United States and the United Arab Emirates acted as mediators in the swap.

Ukraine and Russia agreed on a swap in Geneva in February.

Zelenskiy posted a video of dozens of men getting off big white buses, smiling, waving and thanking Ukrainian border guards who welcomed them.

“I’m alive and healthy. Everything is fine. I have no teeth,” said a soldier speaking through his mobile phone speaker.

The previous prisoner of war exchange took place in early February, following peace talks in Abu Dhabi earlier that month.

Ukraine had hoped for a new round of talks on how to end the war to be held in early March, but those talks were postponed after the United States and Israel launched an attack on Iran, prompting Iran to fire missiles at Israel and several sites in the Gulf that host US military facilities in retaliation.

Zelenskiy said earlier this week that Ukraine was expecting a new date for negotiations from the United States.

with DPA