Russia and Ukraine have exchanged more prisoners of war, with Moscow recovering 185 of its own soldiers and handing over an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday, according to the state news agency TASS.
Moscow thanked the United Arab Emirates for brokering the exchange. The handover again took place at the border between Ukraine and Belarus.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the return of 185 Ukrainian soldiers. A civilian was also released, he wrote on Telegram. Some of those returning had been held by Russia since 2022, he said.
Russia and Ukraine exchange prisoners of war on a regular basis. It is the only area where dialogue between the two sides has functioned more than four years after the start of the war.
The previous round took place on May 15, when the two warring parties each handed over 205 captured soldiers.
In an open letter to Putin on Thursday, Zelensky also proposed a full exchange of all prisoners of war as a step towards peace. There has so far been no response from Moscow.
