UAE mediates release of 190 prisoners between Russia and Ukraine

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has facilitated a new prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, leading to the release of 190 captives, according to the UAE’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The exchange was carried out on Friday, each side bringing home 95 prisoners. The latest swap marks the ninth such mediation by the UAE this year.

This brings the total number of captives exchanged through UAE mediation to 2,184, according to WAM.

The UAE expressed gratitude to both nations for their cooperation, highlighting the significance of the successful exchange amid the ongoing conflict.

The Ministry underscored the UAE's commitment to promoting dialogue and de-escalation in the conflict, reaffirming its role in supporting humanitarian efforts, including aid for refugees and captives.

The UAE has previously mediated eight other exchanges in 2024 and played a key role in a US-Russia prisoner swap in late 2022.

Russia's Defence Ministry, in a post on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian service members were undergoing medical checks in Belarus, one of Russia's closest allies in the more than 2-1/2-year-old war.

Video posted on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy's Telegram account showed men, some wrapped in the blue and yellow Ukrainian flag, getting off a bus well after dark and being embraced by loved ones.

A Russian military video showed smiling soldiers boarding buses.

(Additional input from Reuters)