Russia and Ukraine announced this Sunday the exchange of 100 soldiers, 50 on each side, captured during the fighting on Ukrainian territory.
“50 soldiers were repatriated [ucranianos] who were in captivity at risk of their lives,” Russia’s defense ministry said in a statement, adding that the release of the soldiers was the result of “intensive negotiations” conducted between Moscow and Kiev in recent days.
On the other hand, the Russian Defense Ministry added, Russian soldiers will be transported to Moscow by plane so that they can complete a period of “medical and psychological rehabilitation”.
In Kiev, the presidency of Ukraine confirmed the release of fifty Ukrainian soldiers, including 33 officers and 17 sergeants and privates, who were held in the outskirts of Kiev, near the Chernobyl nuclear power plant or in the port city of Mariupol, among others.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the two warring sides have exchanged thousands of POWs.
In late December, a Ukrainian court sentenced four Russian prisoners to 11 years in prison on charges of war crimes.
The Kremlin categorically denies that its soldiers committed war crimes on Russian territory, namely in the annexed regions of Crimea, while Kiev has asked the West to establish an international court to try them.
The military offensive in Ukraine launched by Russia has so far led to the flight of more than 14 million people – 6.5 million internally displaced people and more than 7.9 million to European countries – according to the latest data from the UN, which classifying the refugee crisis as the worst in Europe since World War II (1939-1945).
Currently, 17.7 million Ukrainians need humanitarian aid and 9.3 million need food aid and shelter.
The Russian invasion – justified by President Vladimir Putin with the need to “denazify” and demilitarize Ukraine for Russian security – was condemned by the international community at large, which responded by sending weapons to Ukrainian authorities and political and economic sanctions to impose on Moscow.
The UN presented 6,919 dead civilians and 11,075 wounded as confirmed since the start of the war, emphasizing that these numbers are far below the real ones.
Source: DN
