Russia and Ukraine have exchanged a total of 190 prisoners, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, in the sixth transfer this year.
Moscow’s Defense Ministry announced it had handed over 95 Ukrainian prisoners and received 95 of its own servicemen. The ministry said in a Telegram statement on Wednesday that the UAE provided “humanitarian mediation” for the exchange. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange in a separate Telegram post and thanked the UAE for its role in the transfer.
The deal brings the total number of prisoners released with the UAE’s help this year to about 1,400. The Gulf state has brokered numerous exchanges between Russia and Ukraine as well as between Russia and the U.S. It provided logistical support and an exchange site when Moscow released WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner in December 2022 in exchange for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.
In early June, President Vladimir Putin said Russia was holding 6,465 Ukrainian prisoners and that authorities in Kiev were holding 1,348 Russians.
