Ukraine and Russia announced late Wednesday that they had exchanged over 200 detained soldiers apiece in what Kyiv defined as the largest prisoner swap of the war thus far.
On January 3, Ukrainian authorities announced the release of 230 nationals held by Russia, while Russia’s Defense Ministry announced the release of 248 Russians. “The humanitarian mediation participation of the United Arab Emirates made the return of Russians possible,” Moscow’s ministry stated.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, expressed his gratitude to “everyone who achieved this result” on X, formerly known as Twitter. However, he did not specifically name the United Arab Emirates or any other participating nations in the discussions.
Since Moscow began its invasion in February 2022, the opposing parties have had hundreds of exchanges, although the latest one was in August. Since neither party had declared a settlement in over five months, Kyiv accused Moscow of purposefully obstructing agreements for political ends.
According to the UAE, the agreement was a reflection of its “strong friendly relations” with Russia and Ukraine.
As Russia intensifies its raids on Ukrainian territory, Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a new decree facilitating the process of granting Russian citizenship to foreign nationals who voluntarily enlist in Moscow’s army.
“Foreign citizens who signed a [1-year] contract with the Russian Armed Forces or military formations or who are undergoing military service during the special military operation [in Ukraine]” are eligible for the simplified citizenship procedure, the decree says, as reported by The Moscow Times. The directive also grants fast-track citizenship to the wives, kids, and parents of foreign soldiers fighting in the Russian army.
In addition to reducing the application process from three months to one, Putin’s most recent decree eliminates the need for foreign nationals to serve in the military for at least six months prior to submitting an application for citizenship. Russian officials then have one month to review the citizenship petitions of the troops and their families.
The streamlined citizenship procedure in Russia seems to be aimed for residents and workers from the less developed former Soviet Union in Central Asia. Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Kazakhstan have all previously advised their nationals not to enlist in foreign forces.
