Russia and Ukraine exchanged 195 soldiers each on Wednesday, following the shooting down of a Russian plane that allegedly carried 65 Ukrainian PoWs last week.
A prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine took place on Wednesday, the first one since a Russian aircraft carrying 65 Ukrainian PoWs crashed last week.
According to the Russian military, both sides received 195 soldiers in the exchange.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 207 Ukrainians, including civilians, were freed.
Kyiv doubts Moscow’s assertion that the Ukrainian PoWs were on the plane that was shot down in the Belgorod region by a US Patriot system, as claimed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday.
The Russian military also said that six crew members and three officials escorting the PoWs died in the crash, and that there were no survivors.
Moscow holds Ukraine responsible for the plane crash, which Kyiv has not confirmed or denied.
The information about those on board has not been verified by any independent sources and both sides have requested an international probe.
The Russian defence ministry said in a short statement on Wednesday that the latest prisoner swap was done after talks with Kyiv.
It said that the freed Russian soldiers would be flown to Moscow by military aircraft for medical and psychological care, and that the United Arab Emirates helped in the negotiations.
The ministry released footage that allegedly shows the freed Russian soldiers getting on a bus before their flight to Moscow.
President Zelensky posted on social media: “Our people are back. 207 of them. We return them home no matter what.
“We remember every Ukrainian in captivity. Both warriors and civilians. We must bring all of them back,” he said, expressing his gratitude to Ukraine’s top security officials for making the latest swap possible.
A video recorded by the Ukrainian authorities shows the freed men getting off buses with cries of “Glory to Ukraine!”
The men are dressed in Russian prison uniforms – their heads are shaved – and many appear very skinny after being in captivity for months, or even up to two years. Some weep – as they speak to their relatives by phone.
Zelensky’s chief of staff Andriy Yermak said that among those freed were National Guard members, border guards and police officers.
This is the 50th prisoner exchange since President Putin started a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
