Russia and Ukraine swap 103 POWs each in deal mediated by the UAE 

Following a prisoner exchange on Friday in which both Russia and Ukraine swapped 49 captured enemy troops each, the Russian Defence Ministry announced the exchange of a further 103 prisoners of war each from each country on Saturday. 

According to the ministry, the exchanged Russian troops, many of whom were new recruits doing their mandatory military service, were captured during Ukraine’s incursion into the Kursk region, which started on August 6.

As part of the deal, which was brokered by the United Arab Emirates, the captive Russians were transferred to Belarus, “where they are being provided with the necessary psychological and medical assistance, as well as an opportunity to contact their relatives”, the ministry said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that 103 Ukrainian servicemen had been released from Russian captivity. “Our people are home. We have successfully brought back another 103 warriors from Russian captivity to Ukraine. 82 privates and sergeants. 21 officers,” Zelensky wrote on X.

In August, the two countries exchanged 115 POWs each, with the UAE acting as an intermediary. 

Despite ongoing hostilities, Russia and Ukraine have managed to swap hundreds of prisoners since the start of the war, often in deals brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia or Turkey.