Moscow [Russia], February 6: Russia and Ukraine have conducted the largest exchange of prisoners of war in months in a deal mediated during peace talks in Abu Dhabi, the warring parties announced on Thursday.
The Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the return of 157 Russian soldiers from Ukrainian captivity, as well as three civilians who had been taken to Ukraine during the brief occupation of parts of the western Russian region of Kursk.
"In return, 157 captured Ukrainian soldiers were handed over," the ministry said in a statement. It said the Russian soldiers are currently in Belarus where they are receiving medical care.
In Kiev, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the exchange in a post on Telegram. The 157 Ukrainians released include soldiers from the army, the National Guard and border troops, some of whom had been held in Russian captivity since 2022, he said.
According to Ukraine's prisoner-of-war coordination staff, seven civilians were also freed. The swap marked the 71st prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
Russian sources said the exchange was mediated by the United States and the United Arab Emirates.
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators began a second day of talks on Thursday in the UAE's capital, Abu Dhabi, aimed at exploring a possible end to the war launched by Moscow in February 2022.
US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the prisoner exchange on X as the result of "peace talks that have been detailed and productive."
He added that such steps showed diplomacy was advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine and further progress could follow in the coming weeks.
Two injured in Russian drone attacks Earlier, Ukrainian authorities said two people were injured in overnight Russian drone attacks on Kiev, shortly before the talks in Abu Dhabi began.
A 79-year-old woman was taken to hospital and an 89-year-old woman was treated as an outpatient, Kiev police said on Telegram. According to the report, the drones struck the Solomyanka district in western Kiev, damaging several apartment blocks.
Damage was also reported in other districts of the city, with residential buildings and a large car park being hit.
Kiev has been a constant target of Russian air strikes during the conflict. After heavy attacks on energy facilities, many residents of the capital have been cut off from electricity and heat supplies amid freezing temperatures this winter.
Source: Qatar Tribune