KYIV: Russia and Ukraine announced on Saturday they had exchanged 115 prisoners of war each, just over two weeks after Kyiv launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. The exchange came as Kyiv mounted its offensive in Kursk and as Russia eyes more east Ukrainian towns.
The exchange, mediated by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), took place on Ukrainian Independence Day. The prisoner swap marks a notable moment in the protracted conflict between the two nations.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 115 Ukrainian defenders, including soldiers from the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service, had been returned home. Zelensky shared images of the returning prisoners wrapped in Ukrainian flags.
“Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today,” Zelensky said. The Ukrainian leader used the occasion to underscore the ongoing conflict, noting the return of the captives as a form of retribution against Russia.
Moscow also confirmed the exchange, stating that it had returned 115 Russian servicemen who had been held in Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry reported that these troops were currently in Belarus, receiving “psychological-medical help” before being brought back to Russia. The ministry released photographs of the Russian captives in a field near buses.
The exchange occurred just over two weeks after Ukraine launched a surprise offensive into Russia’s Kursk region on August 6. This incursion, which Kyiv has framed as a strategic move to gain leverage, has intensified the conflict between the two nations. The operation in Kursk aimed to capture Russian soldiers, thereby facilitating a prisoner exchange to retrieve Ukrainian personnel held by Russia.
The UAE’s foreign ministry praised the successful mediation of the captives’ exchange, emphasizing the importance of such negotiations in the broader context of the ongoing war.
The prisoner swap coincided with Ukraine’s Independence Day, a date marked by Zelensky’s vow of continued “retribution” against Russia. In his address, Zelensky denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin and criticized the ongoing aggression.
Zelensky also signed a law banning the Russian-linked branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, a move described as a “liberation from Moscow’s devils.”
Zelensky’s Independence Day celebrations in Kyiv were attended by Polish President Andrzej Duda and Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte.
Meanwhile, both Russia and Ukraine continued their military operations. Ukraine’s military intelligence reported a successful attack on a Russian ammunition depot in Voronezh, which the Ukrainian side claimed stored artillery and tank shells. The attack prompted a state of emergency in the Ostrogozk district, with reports of evacuations and injuries.
On the other hand, Russia claimed that its air defences had intercepted seven Ukrainian drones over Voronezh and other border regions, further escalating the military tension.
