٠٠:٠٠:٤٨Mandatory credit: Russian Defence Ministry
103 Russian servicemen returned home amid the UAE-mediated prisoners of war swap in the Kursk region, as the same amount of the Ukrainian military were released, Russia's Defence Ministry reported on Saturday.
According to the ministry, Russia's servicemen were transported to the territory of Belarus and are receiving the necessary psychological and medical care. Later they will be moved to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
"I felt so relieved at once. I already realise that I will go home, and everything is behind me, and there is nothing to worry about," shared one of the released Russian servicemen.
Another military admitted that he had not expected such a rapid release and was very happy to be able to return from captivity.
"I feel great. I don't know, I still can't realise it. There are still lots of emotions. I don't even know how to describe it. Everything is great, everything is super," he added.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram account that "another 103 fighters were returned to Ukraine; they are soldiers of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Service".
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 120,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
'I felt so relieved at once' - 103 Russian servicemen captured in Kursk region return home as part of exchange deal mediated by UAE
103 Russian servicemen returned home amid the UAE-mediated prisoners of war swap in the Kursk region, as the same amount of the Ukrainian military were released, Russia's Defence Ministry reported on Saturday.
According to the ministry, Russia's servicemen were transported to the territory of Belarus and are receiving the necessary psychological and medical care. Later they will be moved to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
"I felt so relieved at once. I already realise that I will go home, and everything is behind me, and there is nothing to worry about," shared one of the released Russian servicemen.
Another military admitted that he had not expected such a rapid release and was very happy to be able to return from captivity.
"I feel great. I don't know, I still can't realise it. There are still lots of emotions. I don't even know how to describe it. Everything is great, everything is super," he added.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram account that "another 103 fighters were returned to Ukraine; they are soldiers of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Service".
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 120,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.
Mandatory credit: Russian Defence Ministry
103 Russian servicemen returned home amid the UAE-mediated prisoners of war swap in the Kursk region, as the same amount of the Ukrainian military were released, Russia's Defence Ministry reported on Saturday.
According to the ministry, Russia's servicemen were transported to the territory of Belarus and are receiving the necessary psychological and medical care. Later they will be moved to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.
"I felt so relieved at once. I already realise that I will go home, and everything is behind me, and there is nothing to worry about," shared one of the released Russian servicemen.
Another military admitted that he had not expected such a rapid release and was very happy to be able to return from captivity.
"I feel great. I don't know, I still can't realise it. There are still lots of emotions. I don't even know how to describe it. Everything is great, everything is super," he added.
On the same day, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote on his Telegram account that "another 103 fighters were returned to Ukraine; they are soldiers of the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Service".
Ukrainian forces entered the Kursk region on August 6 in an offensive described by Russian President Vladimir Putin as a 'large-scale provocation'. A counter-terrorist operation regime was introduced in the Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions on August 9, while more than 120,000 people have been evacuated from the Kursk border districts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky described the attack as 'purely [a] security issue for Ukraine', with fighting ongoing.
Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO.
Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow.