• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Amid ongoing hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, and as international efforts continue to ease tensions and address the human costs of the conflict, the two countries have swapped 95 Ukrainian soldiers for an equal number of Russian troops in a prisoner exchange deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates.

"As a result of the negotiation process, 95 Russian servicemen were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime," the Russian defence ministry said. 

"In return, 95 Ukrainian army prisoners of war were handed over," it said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released a video of men, some covered in the Ukrainian flag, disembarking from a bus and reuniting with their loved ones, confirming the exchange had taken place.

"Every time Ukraine rescues its people from Russian captivity, we get closer to the day when freedom will be returned to all who are in Russian captivity," Zelenskyy said.

ALSO READ: Hezbollah Launches Drone Attack Near Benjamin Netanyahu’s Residence In Caesarea; Israeli PM Safe

Russia also returned the bodies of 501 Ukrainian soldiers on Friday, marking the largest repatriation of war dead since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian government. Most of the fallen soldiers were killed in combat in the eastern Donetsk region, as reported by Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Putin Slams Zelenskyy’s Nuclear Comments

Addressing the BRICS business forum on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin criticised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his remarks regarding the potential need for a nuclear deterrent. Zelenskyy had suggested, during a NATO defence ministers' meeting, that Ukraine should either possess nuclear weapons for protection or join an alliance that provides such security.

ALSO READ: Iran's Khamenei Hails Slain Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar As 'Heroic Mujahid', Asserts No Impact On Resistance Front

Russian President Vladimir Putin called Ukraine's remarks about the need for a nuclear deterrent a ‘dangerous provocation’ during a meeting with BRICS journalists. He warned that any move toward acquiring nuclear weapons would face a corresponding response, noting that it is not difficult to develop such weapons in the modern world.