It is the first such exchange since Ukraine launched a surprise raid on Russia’s Kursk region on August 6.

Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 115 prisoners of war from both sides, both countries confirmed, with the United Arab Emirates acting as a mediator.

“The UAE has successfully brokered a new prisoner exchange between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Ukraine, resulting in the release of 230 prisoners,” the Gulf country’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

It was the UAE’s seventh mediation attempt between the two countries this year, the ministry said in a statement.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that 115 Ukrainian prisoners of war had returned from Russia, Russia confirmed that 115 of its servicemen captured during the ongoing raid in the Kursk region had been released.

Both sides have periodically exchanged prisoners through intermediaries since the war began nearly two years ago, despite the fact that no peace talks have taken place since the early months of the conflict.

This was the first such exchange since Ukraine shocked Russia on August 6 by crossing the border at Kursk.

One of the largest transactions took place on January 3, when the warring countries traded a total of 478 captives after mediation by the UAE.

The UAE ministry said the total number of prisoners exchanged through mediation now stands at 1,788.

According to Zelenskyy, those released include members of the National Guard, the Armed Forces and the Navy.

“We remember everyone,” he said in a message on X. “We are looking for them and doing everything we can to bring them all back.”

Another 115 of our defenders returned home today. These are fighters from the National Guard, the Armed Forces, the Navy and the State Border Guard Service.

We remember everyone, we are looking for them and doing everything we can to bring them all back.

I am grateful for every… photo.twitter.com/XiMAeANsOd

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 24, 2024

Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s human rights commissioner, said 82 of the returned Ukrainians in 2022 had defended the southeastern port city of Mariupol, which had been taken over by Russia.

The latest exchange was announced as Ukraine marked its 33rd anniversary of independence from the Soviet Union on Saturday amid the protracted conflict.

Russia wanted to “destroy” Ukraine, but the war has “returned to its homeland,” Zelenskyy said in a video address on Independence Day.

The Ukrainian offensive in Kursk is one of the largest cross-border attacks since the war began in 2022.

Despite the invasion, Russia continues to make progress in eastern Ukraine.