Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners on Wednesday, 190 in all, in their third such swap over the past seven weeks, following negotiations mediated by the United Arab Emirates, Reuters reports.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said all 95 Ukrainians who were freed were from the military, and thanked the UAE for its help.
Russia's defence ministry, in a statement on Telegram, said the returning soldiers would receive medical examinations and physical and psychological rehabilitation. It said the freed troops had faced "mortal danger" in Ukrainian captivity.
Kyiv has secured the return of 3,405 people from Russian captivity since the start of Russia's invasion in February 2022, the Ukrainian Coordinating Committee on Dealing with Prisoners of War said.
It said seven officers and 88 soldiers and sergeants were freed, and most had been in captivity since 2022.
Twenty-three people had taken part in the three-month defence of the Sea of Azov port of Mariupol, and were captured by Russian forces in May 2022, the committee said.
In the second exchange in June, Russia and Ukraine each handed back 90 prisoners.
