Both sides thanked the United Arab Emirates for their 'humanitarian mediation efforts.'
ADVERTISEMENTUkraine carried out a prisoner swap with Russia on Wednesday that saw 150 of its fighters returning home, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his Telegram page.
Footage posted by Zelenskyy showed jubilant prisoners, many wrapped in Ukrainian flags, getting off buses and being reunited with loved ones at a location that was not disclosed for security reasons.
"And today, for them and their loved ones, this day means more than years of waiting. It is true happiness to see them home—alive and free", Zelenskyy wrote. Some of them had spent more than two years in captivity, he added.
Zelenskyy thanked "the partners, especially the UAE," and everyone who works to return Ukrainians home.
The deal was brokered by the United Arab Emirates, which has been behind numerous other prisoner exchanges.
Russia's defence ministry said its troops were undergoing medical checks in allied Belarus before returning to Russia, while also acknowledging the UAE's mediation efforts.
Meanwhile, hundreds of mourners gathered Wednesday in Poltava, Ukraine, to attend the funerals of some of the 14 victims of a Russian attack last Saturday.
Solemn services were held for the Zapishnyi and Yavorskyi families, who lost both adults and children in the attack.
The Zapishnyi family lost Serhii, 40, his wife Kateryna, 38, and their children, 8-year-old Danyil and 12-year-old Diana.
The Yavorskyi family lost both parents and their 9-year-old daughter.
Seven coffins were placed near the cathedral and emotional mourners paid their respects. They also left toys to honour the children.
"Today, a whole family was buried, which was taken away by an insatiable enemy. This is a family that can rightly be called an elite family," said Oleh Semko, a friend of the family.