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Military operation in Ukraine

IN BRIEF: What we know about new prisoner exchange between Russia, Ukraine

Russia has returned 157 of its servicemen from Ukrainian captivity, and 157 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been transferred in return

© Russian Defense Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, February 5. /TASS/. Russia has returned 157 servicemen from Ukrainian captivity, and sent 157 Ukrainian prisoners of war back in return. Three civilians from the Kursk Region, who were illegally detained by Kiev, were also returned as part of the exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

TASS has compiled the key facts about the exchange.

Exchange Details

- Russia has returned 157 of its servicemen from Ukrainian captivity, and 157 Ukrainian prisoners of war have been transferred in return, the Defense Ministry said.

- According to the agency, three civilians of the Kursk Region, who were illegally detained by Kiev, were returned as part of the swap.

- The Defense Ministry said that the Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving necessary psychological and medical assistance.

- They will be taken to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Defense Ministry, it said.

Mediation

- The United Arab Emirates and the United States mediated the return of Russian military personnel, the Defense Ministry said.

The role of ombudsmen

- Residents of the Kursk Region were returned from Ukraine thanks to a dialogue between Russia’s Commissioner for Human Rights Tatyana Moskalkova and her Ukrainian counterpart Dmitry Lubinets with the assistance of the Russian Defense Ministry, a TASS correspondent reports from the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

- Russian citizens were taken to Ukraine during the occupation of the Kursk Region by Ukraine and held for about a year in the Sumy Region.

- Moskalkova greeted them in Novaya Gouta with a hug, after which she called their relatives.

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Foreign policy Military operation in Ukraine

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