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Published : 20 Mar 2025, 12:32 AM
Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 175 prisoners of war each, both sides said on Wednesday, following a phone call between US President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin in which the swap was discussed.
Russia handed over an additional 22 heavily wounded Ukrainian prisoners, both sides confirmed.
The Russian Defence Ministry said the 22 were in need of urgent medical care and had been returned in what it described as a goodwill gesture.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in a statement on X described the exchange as one of the largest of its kind and said the 22 Ukrainians were "severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for fabricated crimes."
"All of them will immediately receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance," Zelenskiy said.
Russia's Defence Ministry said the United Arab Emirates had used mediation efforts of "a humanitarian nature" to facilitate the deal.
It said that the Russian soldiers freed in the deal were in Belarus receiving medical and psychological care before being transported to Russia for further treatment.
