Anjali Sharma
GG News Bureau
UNITED NATIONS, 5th Jan. UN Secretary General on Thursday welcomed the biggest prisoner of war exchange between Russia and Ukraine since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia about two years ago.
Mr. Guterres in a statement released by his Spokesperson said that he commended the efforts by both countries, together with the “third-party facilitation by the United Arab Emirates that contributed to this positive development.”
The prisoner release was announced on Wednesday and was the first to take place for months, the statement noted.
Russian ministry of defence said in a statement that 248 of its soldiers had been released while President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tweeted that a total of 230 Ukrainians had been returned home, of whom 6 were civilians.
“We remember each and every one of our people”, he wrote on X, “and we must return all of them.”
According to news reports there have been dozens of prisoner exchanges with more than 2,800 Ukrainian prisoners returned and at least 1,000 Russians.
Media reported that the last reported exchange took place in August, when 22 Ukrainian soldiers were released.
Mr. Guterres said he hoped that the prisoner swap is the “important step” would be followed by additional exchanges, “and by other de-escalation efforts.”
