(Bloomberg) -- Russia said it swapped 115 prisoners captured by Ukraine during an almost three-week cross-border incursion in the Kursk region for the same number of detained Ukrainian servicemen.
Under the deal, brokered by the United Arab Emirates, the captive Russian soldiers have been transferred to Belarus and will be sent to Russia, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said on Telegram on Saturday.
Ukraine’s troops swept into Kursk on Aug. 6, catching Russia off guard. The Ukrainian army has captured several hundred Russian soldiers, including more than 100 in a single incident on Aug. 14, according to reports.
The first foreign military assault inside Russia since World War II has given Ukraine control of more than 1,250 square kilometers (483 miles) of Russian territory, according to the government in Kyiv. These claims couldn’t be independently verified.
Ukraine and Russia have held several prisoner swaps before, most recently exchanging 95 servicemen from both sides last month also with the help of UAE mediation.
Russia invaded Ukraine in Feb. 2022 and currently controls about 17% of Ukrainian territory.
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