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| Russia and Ukraine exchange hundreds of prisoners of war | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 189 Ukrainians had returned home | |
| Russia and Ukraine have exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). | |
| The Russian defence ministry said it had swapped 150 Ukrainian soldiers held captive for an equal number of Russian troops. | |
| Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy said 189 Ukrainians had returned home. | |
| He added that those released included "defenders of Azovstal and Mariupol", the Chernobyl nuclear power plant and Snake Island. | |
| In May 2022, Russia declared victory after a months-long battle to conquer the south-eastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, with the last fighters defending the city's Azovstal steel plant having surrendered. | |
| Russian troops seized Chernobyl in the country's north-west at the beginning of their invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, but later handed back control of the plant to its employees. | |
| Snake Island was also seized in 2022 and the Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner, but later exchanged for Russian captives. | |
| Zelensky said two civilians captured in Mariupol were among dozens of soldiers, sergeants, border guards and officers released on Monday. | |
| "We are working to free everyone from Russian captivity. This is our goal. We do not forget anyone," Zelensky said. He posted photos showing some of the swapped men sitting on a coach holding up yellow-and-blue Ukrainian flags. | |
| On Monday, the Russian defence ministry said newly released Russian troops were in Belarus, an ally of Russia, and were being given medical assistance and the chance to contact their families. | |
| Before the latest swap, there had been just 10 prisoner exchanges between the countries this year, the lowest number since the full-scale invasion began. | |
| Ukraine said Moscow had released 3,956 people, including soldiers and civilians, in deals with Kyiv since the start of the conflict. | |
| In a video posted by Russian human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova, soldiers are seen gathered in front of coaches in military and winter clothing. | |
| "Very soon our guys will hug their families and friends and celebrate the New Year on their native land," she said in an accompanying message. | |
| Tatyana Moskalkova said she spoke to Russian prisoners of war who were released as part of the exchange | |
| 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. | 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 more than 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. | 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. |