Russia and Ukraine exchange 95 prisoners of war

Thousands of prisoners of war have been freed in more than 50 separate exchanges throughout the war since February 2022.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Russian Defense Ministry both said on Wednesday that 95 of their soldiers had been released. He said the exchange was brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in June that there were 1,348 Russian soldiers in Ukrainian custody and that Russia was holding 6,465 Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Earlier last month, Ukraine and Russia also exchanged prisoners, with each side returning 75 people. This was the first prisoner exchange in three months. At that time, the two sides also returned the bodies of each other's dead soldiers.

Since the conflict began, Ukraine has received about 3,000 bodies, mostly soldiers, according to Ukraine's missing persons office. About 1,300 of them have been identified.

Cao Phong (according to Reuters, CNA)