Moscow releases over 100 Ukrainian women in prisoner exchange with Kiev

Russia and Ukraine have carried out one of the biggest prisoner swaps since the beginning of the war, exchanging a total of 218 detainees, including 108 Ukrainian women.

Ukraine announced the exchange on Monday, which included 108 female prisoners, mostly servicewomen, with Russia in what it called the first all-female exchange of prisoners.

"Another large-scale exchange of prisoners of war was carried out today...we freed 108 women from captivity. It was the first all-female exchange," said Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian Presidency's chief of staff.

He added that 37 of the women had been captured after Russian forces took the giant Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol in May.

The Russian Defense Ministry, for its part, said out of the 110 prisoners it exchanged with Ukraine, 80 were crew of civilian ships held by Kiev since February, and 30 were military personnel.

Moscow says it has launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in order to defend the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk against persecution by Kiev.

Back in 2014, the two republics broke away from Ukraine, refusing to recognize a Western-backed Ukrainian government there that had overthrown a democratically-elected Russia-friendly administration.

Commenting on the prisoner swap, Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky said as many as "96 [of the swapped prisoners] are servicewomen, including 37 evacuees from Azovstal, and 12 are civilians."

Azovstal refers to a giant steelworks in the southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which witnessed weeks of intense fighting between the two sides following the launch of the Russian operation. On May 25, the Russian ministry announced a ceasefire around the giant fortress-like plant to allow a civilian evacuation from the flashpoint industrial area.

Russia announces ceasefire around steel plant in Ukraine’s Mariupol to allow civilian evacuation

Russia has announced a ceasefire around the Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine’s Mariupol to allow a civilian evacuation.

The previous prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia took place in September, involving almost 300 people, including 10 foreigners.

Russia, Ukraine swap nearly 300 prisoners, including foreigners

Russia and Ukraine have carried out a high-profile prisoner swap, involving almost 300 people, including 10 foreigners, marking the largest exchange since the start of the Ukrainian conflict.

Back in July, Russia said its soldiers, who had been released as part of a prisoner swap with Ukraine had been "beaten" and "tortured with electricity in captivity."

Russia says Ukraine 'tortured' captured soldiers

Russia says its soldiers recently released as part of a prisoner swap with Ukraine were "beaten" and "tortured with electricity in captivity."

Russia to deploy 9,000 forces to Belarus

Also on Monday, Belarus announced that Russia was to deploy up to 9,000 soldiers and around 170 tanks to the country, so the two sides can build a joint border force meant to deter what Minsk called Ukrainian threat.

Valeri Revenko, the Belarusian Defense Ministry's advisor for international military cooperation, said Russia would also dispatch "200 [other] armored vehicles and up to 100 weapons and mortars with a caliber exceeding 100 mm."

The Russian units would be deployed to four training grounds in the east and center of Belarus, where they will take part in exercises involving "combat firing and anti-air missile firing," he said.

Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the joint force last week, saying Ukraine was plotting to attack his country.

Belarus deploys troops with Russia near Ukraine after ‘threat’ from Kiev, NATO

President Lukashenko said Minsk had been warned through unofficial channels about plans to carry out an attack on the Belarusian territory.

The head of state accused Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine of training Belarusian radicals "to carry out sabotage, [and] terrorist attacks, and to organize a military mutiny in the country."

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