Listeners:
Top listeners:
play_arrow

By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
KYIV/MOSCOW/BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Russia and Ukraine say they have exchanged 206 prisoners of war in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates. The weekend exchange was welcomed by Ukraine’s embattled president, whose forces have struggled to halt the ongoing Russian invasion of his nation.
As they stepped out of a bus released Ukrainian prisoners of war celebrated their return near the Ukraine-Belarus border.
The release primarily concerned soldiers — including 23 women — captured around the siege of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol in 2022.
The next day, Moscow and Kyiv swapped 103 prisoners of war, each in a deal brokered by the United Arab Emirates.
“At home thank you we are at home. It were 846 days of hell. Glory to Ukraine, glory to the heroes,” said Igor Titovsky, an Azov brigade fighter.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared in his joy, saying, “Our people are home.”
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its 103 released servicemen came from among those captured by Ukrainian forces when they entered Russia’s Kursk area.
SURPRISE ATTACK
Last month, Ukrainian forces launched a surprise attack across the Russian border, advancing up to 30 kilometers (18 miles) into the Kursk region.
President Zelenskyy said the freed Ukrainians included 82 privates and sergeants and 21 officers from the armed forces, national guard, border guards, and police.
He stressed that they had been captured defending the regions of Kyiv, Donetsk, Mariupol, Azovstal, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kharkiv.
Russia announced that its released soldiers were in Belarus and would be given the “necessary psychological and medical assistance.”
Moscow also announced they would be allowed to contact their relatives before being returned to Russia.
The deal was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, which has remained broadly neutral since Russia triggered the armed conflict by invading Ukraine in February 2022.
It was also a small joy in a war that has killed and injured hundreds of thousands of people.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
The partial government shutdown stretched into its 39th day Tuesday as Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-backed plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, drawing sharp criticism from conservatives who argue politics is being placed ahead of national security.
Louisville, Kentucky has agreed to pay $800,000 in attorney’s fees to Christian photographer Chelsey Nelson following her legal victory over the city’s public accommodations law, which had required her to photograph same-sex weddings if she offered services for traditional marriages.
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate Hezbollah has been significantly weakened, losing an estimated 85% of its missile arsenal since the war ignited by Hamas’ October 7 massacre. The Iranian-backed terror group is now believed to possess between 11,000 and 13,000 rockets—roughly one-sixth of its pre-war stockpile.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the ongoing conflict with Iran has already resulted in what he described as a “regime change,” signaling a dramatic shift in leadership dynamics within the Iranian government as Washington presses forward with negotiations to end hostilities.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that Israeli forces plan to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, outlining a strategy to create a “defensive buffer” amid ongoing conflict with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.
The Pentagon is preparing to deploy a brigade combat team from the Army’s elite 82nd Airborne Division to the Middle East, according to a Wall Street Journal report citing U.S. officials, signaling a significant escalation in America’s posture toward Iran.
A senior leader of one of Nigeria’s largest evangelical denominations has been abducted in Nigeria’s central Plateau State while concern remains about several Christian worshipers kidnapped elsewhere in the turbulent African nation, Christian sources said Tuesday.
The Psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs encapsulate the beauty, wisdom, and eternal truths found in the Bible, creating an immersive experience that resonates with believers and seekers alike.
Copyright The New Jerusalem Media.