Russia and Ukraine conduct third prisoner exchange in recent months

Russia and Ukraine exchanged 95 prisoners of war each on Wednesday in the latest such swap after the United Arab Emirates acted as an intermediary, Russia's Defence ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said.

Russia's Defence Ministry, in a statement on the Telegram messaging app, said the returning Russian soldiers would be flown to Moscow for medical examinations and physical and psychological rehabilitation.

It said the freed troops had faced "mortal danger" in Ukrainian captivity.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the freed Ukrainian prisoners were members of the Ukrainian armed forces, the national guard and the border guard service.

Zelenskiy thanked the United Arab Emirates for its help in facilitating the swap.

The prisoner exchange was the third of its kind in the past seven weeks.

In the latest exchange, which occurred in June and was also facilitated by the UAE, Russia and Ukraine each handed back 90 prisoners.