2 days ago
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Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, the Russian defence ministry says.
In a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates, Russia said it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops.
The released Russian troops were in Belarus, an ally of Russia, and were being given medical assistance and the chance to contact their families, the Russian defence ministry said. Ukraine has not yet commented.
Before the latest swap, there had been just 10 prisoner exchanges between the countries this year.
Petro Yatsenko from Ukraine's Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War previously told the BBC that negotiations with Moscow over prisoner swaps had become more difficult since Russian forces began making significant advances on the front line.
Ukraine does not publish numbers of prisoners of war being held by Russia, but the total is thought to be over 8,000.
Russia has made significant gains on the battlefield this year, which has raised fears that the numbers of Ukrainians being captured is on the rise.
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