MOSCOW / DUBAI - Russia's defense ministry said Saturday that 115 Russian servicemen captured in the Kursk region were returned from the territory controlled by Ukraine as part of an exchange deal.
"In exchange, 115 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred," the ministry said, adding that the United Arab Emirates provided mediation efforts during the swap.
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All the exchanged Russian military personnel are currently in Belarus and will be sent to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in medical institutions of the ministry, it said.
The UAE said that it successfully mediated an exchange of captives between Russia and Ukraine, resulting in the release of 230 people from both sides.
The UAE's Foreign Ministry stated in a statement on its website that the latest exchange has brought the total number of captives exchanged through UAE mediation to 1,788.
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The latest exchange, which follows a similar operation about a month ago, is the seventh of its kind since the beginning of 2024, according to the ministry.
In December 2022, the UAE also facilitated the exchange of two captives between the United States and Russia.
Meanwhile, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have attacked over 30 settlements in Russia's border region of Belgorod over the past 24 hours, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said Saturday.
The attacks targeted nine districts in the region, resulting in five people injured, Gladkov said in a Telegram post.
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Russia declared a federal-level state of emergency in the Belgorod region last week as Ukrainian forces continued their offensive near the Russian borders.
Russia's defense ministry said Saturday the Russian forces continue to repel the attacks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces into its territory, adding that Ukraine has lost more than 360 servicemen and 29 armored vehicles over the past 24 hours.
