"Further 115 of our defenders have returned home today. They are warriors from the national guard, from the army, navy, and border guard. We remember each and every one. We search and do our best to get everyone back,” writes Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyj on X.
Russia's Defense Ministry says in a statement that "115 Russian soldiers who were captured in the Kursk region have been returned".
The exchange is a result of negotiations led by the United Arab Emirates, and is the first since Ukraine launched its offensive inside Russia.
"The United Arab Emirates has successfully mediated a new prisoner exchange between the Russian Federation and Ukraine, resulting in the release of 230 prisoners", says the country's Foreign Ministry.
This is the seventh mediation carried out by the United Arab Emirates since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, writes news agency Reuters. The United Arab Emirates has maintained good relations with Russia after the invasion, to the frustration of the Western world. At the same time, it has also strengthened its ties with Ukraine, which has enabled the country to effectively mediate between the two.
Since the war began, a total of 1,788 prisoners have been released through the country's mediation, including those released with Saturday's announcement.
