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 the crew of civilian ships held by Kiev since February, and 30 were military personnel.

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

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."

MG