The UAE said it succeeded in mediating the release of 100 prisoners of war from Russia in exchange for 100 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian side, according to the Emirates News Agency "WAM" on Friday, quoting the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The ministry confirmed "the success of the mediation, which is the third since the beginning of this year."

According to the new mediation, 100 Russian prisoners of war were released in exchange for 100 prisoners of war from the Ukrainian side, according to the UAE statement.

The UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed "the UAE's readiness to continue and support efforts aimed at finding a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine."

On Thursday, Russia and Ukraine confirmed that they had exchanged 100 prisoners of war from both sides in the war ongoing for about two years, with the UAE playing the role of mediator.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on Telegram, "The majority of those returned home participated in the three-month defense of Mariupol," the Ukrainian city located on the Sea of Azov, which was taken over by the Russians after a long and deadly siege in May 2022.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a post on the Telegram messaging app that the returning soldiers "will undergo medical examinations in Moscow," according to Reuters.

Last January, UAE mediation efforts succeeded in completing two prisoner of war exchange operations between Russia and Ukraine, according to WAM.

This operation is the fifty-first between the two countries, according to the Ukrainian center in charge of the issue of prisoners of war.

Since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022, 3,315 Ukrainian prisoners have been able to return to their country, according to Kyiv.

At the end of January, Moscow accused Ukraine of shooting down a Russian military plane carrying Ukrainian soldiers who were to be exchanged, according to the French news agency AFP.

Ukraine has not officially admitted to this, doubted the presence of prisoners of war on board the plane, and called for an international investigation.