Although the Russian Defense Ministry said 150 prisoners were exchanged in the New Year’s agreement, Zelensky welcomed back 189 Ukrainians.

Russia and Ukraine exchanged more than 300 prisoners of war (prisoner of war) in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates on New Year’s Eve, officials from both countries said.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Monday that 150 Ukrainian prisoners had been exchanged, while Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenks said 189 Ukrainians had returned home.

There was no immediate explanation for the discrepancy in the reported numbers.

“The return of our people from Russian captivity is always good news for each of us. Today is one of those days: our team successfully brought 189 Ukrainians home,” Zelensky said at the said a post on the Telegram messaging app.

The exchange included two civilians captured in the southern port city of Mariupol in 2022, he said, thanking the UAE for helping negotiate the swap.

Photos posted by Zelensky showed dozens of men sitting on a bus, some draped in the blue and yellow flags of the Ukrainian state.

A video posted by Russia’s human rights commissioner Tatyana Moskakova showed soldiers gathered outside a bus, wearing winter coats and military fatigues.

“I thank you for your service, patience and courage,” Moscakova said, wishing them a happy new year.

“Soon our people will embrace their relatives and friends and celebrate the New Year in their homeland,” she wrote in a Telegram message accompanying the video.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the released prisoners received psychological and medical assistance in neighboring Belarus, a key ally of Moscow, before returning home.

There are 60 different prisoner exchange Since the war broke out in February 2022, the most recent exchange took place in mid-October, when the two countries exchanged 95 prisoners of war each.

Ukraine said on Monday that Moscow had released a total of 3,956 soldiers and civilians under an agreement with Kiev since the sanctions began. conflict. Zelensky promised to continue pushing for the release of remaining prisoners of war.

“We continue to work to free everyone from Russian captivity. This is our goal and we will forget no one. I thank the team for doing everything they can to get our people home,” he wrote.

The prisoner exchange comes as U.S. President Joe Biden announced on Monday that the United States will send nearly $2.5 billion in additional weapons to Ukraine, as his administration rushes to use all available funds to help Kyiv fight against President-elect Donald Trump. Quit Russia and take office.