Moscow, Aug. 19 (SANA)Russia and Ukraine each exchanged 103 prisoners of war on Wednesday in a new swap mediated by the United Arab Emirates, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said 103 Russian servicemen had been returned from Ukrainian-controlled territory, while 103 Ukrainian prisoners of war were handed over to Kyiv, RT reported.

The ministry said the UAE provided humanitarian mediation that helped facilitate the exchange and the transfer of prisoners.

The released Russian servicemen were in Belarus, where they were being received before their transfer to Russia, according to the ministry.

Prisoner exchanges have remained one of the few areas of direct humanitarian cooperation between Moscow and Kyiv since the conflict began in February 2022.

The two sides carried out another UAE-mediated exchange on June 26, when each released 160 prisoners.F.J./ABD