The Russian Defence Ministry has announced that 90 Russian service members who were held as prisoners of war in Ukraine have returned home, RIA Novosti reports citing the ministry.
The swap took place earlier on 7 March. No additional information was disclosed.
Later, senior Ukrainian official Andriy Yermak reported that 130 military personnel returned to Ukraine as part of the swap. According to him, most of the liberated prisoners of war have serious injuries.
“Another prisoner swap. We managed to bring home 130 defenders, 126 men and four women. They are Ukrainian army warriors, national guards, border control agents, and the special state transport service employees,” he wrote.
Moreover, 87 of the 130 service members were defending Mariupol, 71 of them were in the Azovstal Steel Works.
“We are also bringing back 35 people who were captured near Bakhmut and Soledar,” Yermak noted.
Russia and Ukraine last carried out a prisoner swap in mid-February, each side brought home 101 people. According to Yermak, 100 service members and one civilian returned to Ukraine.
