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The first exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) in 2024 took place on January 3. The Russian military reported that 248 Russian servicemen returned to Russia. The Ukrainian side reported that 230 Ukrainian servicemen were released.
The exchange reportedly took place on the border of the Belgorod region. This was made possible through the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.
The Russian Ministry of Defense, all released Russian servicemen were provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance. Military personnel is transported by military transport aircraft of the Russian Aerospace Forces for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Ministry of Defense.
In his turn, Ukrainian President Zelensky confirmed the prisoner exchange, saying that more than 200 servicemen of various institutions returned to the Ukrainian side, including prisoners from Azovstal and Mariupol. They include servicemen of the Armed Forces, National Guard, Navy, border guards. Ukrainian Ombudsman claimed that 230 people returned to the Ukrainian side.
According to the Russian military, the negotiation process was not easy. This is the first prisoner exchange in six months. The last exchange was officially reported on June 11, 2023.
Some Ukrainian and Russian officials claimed that 75 Russian servicemen were released from Ukrainian captivity beyond the exchange. According to the reports, 8 months ago 75 Russian soldiers should be exchanged to five Azov militants; but Kiev did not fulfill the obligations, as a result the exchange process was thwarted. It is not clear if they were included in 248 servicemen declared by the Russian Defense Ministry or not. The experts suppose that the numbers for the last exchange were agreed by the warring sides not to humiliate the Kiev regime and Zelensky.
