The UAE has successfully mediated the exchange of 538 war captives between Russia and Ukraine, the largest exchange since the outbreak of the conflict.
It's the 14th mediated prisoner exchange between the two countries, national news agency Wam reported.
Ukraine saw the return of 246 war captives and 31 wounded soldiers, while Russia welcomed home 246 prisoners of war and 15 wounded servicemen.
A total of 3,771 prisoners have now been exchanged between Russia and Ukraine through UAE's mediation efforts.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) expressed its appreciation to the governments of Russia and Ukraine for their cooperation in making the exchange a success.
It also reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, stressing the importance of resorting to dialogue, de-escalation, and diplomacy, as the only ways to resolve it, while mitigating humanitarian repercussions.
In a post on social media platform X, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the UAE for its "mediation efforts".
"I am especially grateful to the United Arab Emirates for their mediation," he wrote.
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