Europe 1 with AFP 8:00 p.m., February 8, 2024
Russia and Ukraine announced Thursday that they had exchanged 100 prisoners of war from each side, more than a week after an operation of this type involving several hundred soldiers.
“On February 8, following negotiations, 100 Russian servicemen who were in danger of death in captivity returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime. In return, 100 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian forces were handed over,” indicated the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The 51st exchange of this type
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the return of “100 Ukrainians”. “Most of them are defenders of Mariupol,” he added, referring to this Ukrainian city taken by the Russians after a bloody siege in 2022.
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This is the 51st exchange of this type, according to the Ukrainian center responsible for the issue of prisoners of war. Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, 3,315 Ukrainian captives have been able to return to their country, according to kyiv.
At the end of January, Moscow accused Ukraine of having shot down a Russian military plane carrying Ukrainian soldiers about to be exchanged. Ukraine, which has not officially acknowledged its involvement, has expressed doubts about the presence of prisoners of war on board and called for an international investigation.