Russia and Ukraine exchanged 230 prisoners of war today, as Kiev marked its third Independence Day since Moscow’s invasion.

Ukraine said that the 115 soldiers released were conscripts, many of whom were captured in the first months of the Russian invasion. Nearly 50 Russian soldiers, among them, were captured at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the 115 Russian soldiers had been captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise attack on Russia two weeks ago. The ministry said the soldiers are currently in Belarus but will be flown to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Another 115 of our defenders have returned home today. These are warriors of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service.

We remember everyone. We are searching for them and making every effort to bring them all back.

I am grateful to each

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the United Arab Emirates had again brokered the swap, the 55th since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

The photos attached to Zelensky’s post show soldiers with shaved heads and wrapped up with Ukrainian flags.

Officials from the two sides meet only when they exchange their dead and prisoners of war, after much preparation and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia disclose how many prisoners of war there are in total.

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