Russia and Ukraine have confirmed that they exchanged 146 prisoners each under the mediation of the United Arab Emirates on Sunday (August 24).
The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram that on August 24, 146 Russian military personnel returned from Ukrainian-controlled territories. In exchange, 146 Ukrainian armed forces prisoners were transferred to Ukraine.
According to the Defense Ministry, all released Russian prisoners are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus.
As part of the exchange, Ukraine also transferred eight Russian citizens back to Russia, who are residents of Kursk.
Last August, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack on the Russian-controlled Kursk region, occupying hundreds of square kilometers of territory, dealing a heavy blow to the Kremlin. In retaliation, Russia deployed thousands of troops from Korea, regaining full control of the region in April of this year.
According to Reuters, the Ukrainian military issued a statement on Sunday confirming the exchange of 146 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Zelensky announced on Telegram that the exchange operation has been completed but did not disclose specific numbers. He posted photos of the returning Ukrainian soldiers, noting that most of them had been imprisoned since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, including a journalist captured a month after the invasion.
Zelensky thanked the United Arab Emirates for their role in overseeing the prisoner exchange operation.
The Ukrainian Prisoner Treatment Coordination Headquarters stated on Telegram that among the released Ukrainians on Sunday were two Ukrainian journalists, Dmytro Khyliuk and Mark Kaliush, who had been illegally detained by occupiers in 2022 and 2023.
The statement added that “they were targeted due to their journalistic work.”
The press freedom organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) welcomed their release, noting that “they were targeted because of their work as journalists.”