Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) react after the swap, amid Russia’s attack on Ukraine, at an undisclosed location in Ukraine, in this handout photo released on August 24, 2024. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. | Photo credit: Reuters
Russia and Ukraine More than 100 prisoners of war were exchanged on Saturday (August 24, 2024), as Kiev celebrated its third Independence Day since Moscow’s full-scale invasion.
Ukraine said the 115 soldiers released were conscripts, many of whom were taken prisoner in the early months of Russia’s invasion. About 50 of them were soldiers captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
The Russian Defense Ministry said 115 Russian servicemen were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack on Russia two weeks ago. The servicemen are currently in Belarus but will be taken to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation, the ministry said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on X that the UAE had again mediated the exchange, which is the 55th time since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour in February 2022.
A photo attached to Mr Zelensky’s post showed skinny soldiers with shaved heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.
“We miss every single one. We are searching and doing our best to bring everyone back,” Mr Zelensky said in the post.
Officials from the two sides only meet when they exchange their dead and prisoners of war after lengthy preparations and diplomacy. Neither Ukraine nor Russia has disclosed how many prisoners of war there are in total.
According to the UN, most Ukrainian POWs face routine medical neglect, severe and systematic abuse, and even torture in custody. There have also been some isolated reports of abuse by Russian soldiers, mostly during capture or transport to detention sites.
Last January, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war in the largest single release.
Two people were killed and four others, including a child, were injured when Russian forces shelled the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson, capital of the partially occupied Kherson region, according to local authorities.
Ukraine’s air force said it intercepted and destroyed seven drones in the south of the country. Russian long-range bombers attacked the area of the Zamyani (Snake) Island with four cruise missiles, while the wider Kherson region was also hit with aerial bombs.
The Defense Ministry in Russia said on Saturday (August 24, 2024) that the air defense system had shot down seven drones overnight.
Five drones were shot down in the southwestern Voronezh region bordering Ukraine, wounding two people, regional governor Alexander Gusev said. Astra Published videos showing an ammunition depot exploding after being hit by a drone. The video could not be independently verified.
Two people were injured in a drone attack in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, regional governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Local authorities reported no casualties in the Bryansk region, where a fifth drone was intercepted.
In the Kursk region, regional governor Alexei Smirnov said on Saturday (August 24, 2024) that three missiles were shot down at night and four more on Saturday (August 24, 2024) morning.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian air defenses shot down two more drones on Saturday (August 24, 2024) morning – one over the Kursk region and the other over the Bryansk region.
Ukraine celebrates its 33rd Independence Day on Saturday (August 24, 2024) as its war against Russian aggression reaches a 30-month milestone. No celebrations are planned and Ukrainians will instead mark the day in memory of civilians and soldiers killed in the war.
Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kyiv by train on Saturday (August 24, 2024) morning in a symbolic show of support from one of Ukraine’s key allies.
Video posted by his office shows him being welcomed by Ukrainian officials and later paying tribute to Ukraine’s fallen soldiers at a ceremony commemorating their fallen soldiers.
Mr Duda’s visit to Kyiv, his fifth since February 2022, sends the message that Warsaw’s support for Ukraine remains strong even as the war continues into its third year.
Poland, located to the west of Ukraine, has donated arms and has become a hub for Western arms shipments to Ukraine. It has also welcomed thousands of Ukrainians fleeing the war. It is home to the second largest number of Ukrainian refugees outside the country after Germany.
A trade dispute over Ukrainian grain, which soured relations last year, and historical grievances between the two countries sometimes stir up bad feelings, especially among Poles who remember massacres committed by Ukrainian nationalists during World War II.