The two sides have returned 246 prisoners of war each, according to the Defense Ministry

Moscow and Kiev have held a major prisoner of war swap, with each side returning 246 captives, the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Saturday.

Russia has given Ukraine an additional 31 gravely wounded servicemen, receiving some 15 wounded soldiers in return, the military said. The exchange has been mediated by the United Arab Emirates, the Defense Ministry noted.

The freed Russian servicemen are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving all the necessary medical treatment and psychological support, the military said. The former prisoners will be transferred to Russia shortly for treatment and rehabilitation.

The Russian Defense Ministry has released a short video showing the freed servicemen boarding buses in an undisclosed location, apparently as they set off for the transfer home.

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The announcement comes shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a temporary pause in fighting with Ukraine. The Easter truce is set to run from 6:00pm Moscow time on Saturday until midnight on April 21.

READ MORE: Russia announces Easter ceasefire

The Russian president has expressed hopes Kiev will agree to the truce, stating that its attitude toward the pause in fighting will demonstrate whether it is genuinely interested in resolving hostilities through diplomacy. At the same time, Putin instructed the country's troops to stay on high alert and be ready to respond to potential violations of the ceasefire.

(RT.com)