100 prisoners of war exchanged between Russia and Ukraine
According to reports from both Warring countries on Sunday, January 8, 100 soldiers returned to their home countries after a prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine.
Russia’s defense ministry stated in a statement, that 50 Russian soldiers captured by Ukraine were returned to Russia as a result of the negotiations.
Andriy Yermak the head of the Ukrainian presidential offices confirmed the exchange and stated that 50 Ukrainian soldiers taken by Russia had returned home.
“We returned the people who were captured at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as well as the defenders of Mariupol, the guys from the Donetsk direction, from near Bakhmut, as well as from Kyiv, Chernihiv, Kherson, and other regions,” Yermak said in a statement.
“This is not the last exchange. Our task is to return all our people and we will fulfill it,” he said.
Sunday’s exchange is the 36th exchange between Russia and Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, with 1,646 people — military and civilians — returned home to Ukraine, according to the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War in Kyiv
Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24th of February, saying it wanted to ‘de-nazify’ Ukraine and rid it of NATO influence. However, Ukraine says Russia just wants to carry out an imperialist-style land grab.