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Russia and Ukraine each exchanged more than 100 prisoners of war on Kiev’s third independence day since the full-scale invasion by Moscow.

Ukraine reported that the 115 released Ukrainian servicemen were conscripts, many of whom had been captured in the first months of the Russian invasion.

Among them were nearly 50 soldiers captured by Russian troops at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the released 115 Russian soldiers were captured in the Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces launched their surprise offensive into Russia two weeks ago.

The ministry said the soldiers are currently in Belarus but are being transferred to Russia for medical treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote in a message on X that the United Arab Emirates again brokered the exchange, the 55th since Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Photos accompanying Mr Zelensky’s post show thin soldiers with shaved heads and wrapped in Ukrainian flags.

“We remember each of us. We are searching and doing our best to get everyone back,” Mr Zelensky said in the post.

Officials from both sides only meet when they exchange their dead and prisoners of war, after lengthy preparation and diplomacy.

Neither Ukraine nor Russia discloses the total number of prisoners of war.

According to the UN, Ukrainian prisoners of war face routine medical neglect, severe and systematic ill-treatment and even torture during their captivity.

There are also occasional reports of ill-treatment of Russian soldiers, usually during their capture or during transport to internment camps.

Last January, Russia and Ukraine exchanged hundreds of prisoners of war, the largest release ever.

This happened on the day that Ukraine celebrated its 33rd Independence Day, a milestone in the war against Russian aggression, which has now lasted 30 months.

No festivities were planned. Instead, Ukrainians commemorated the day with commemorations for civilians and soldiers who died in the war.

At a ceremony marking the anniversary, Mr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had for the first time successfully deployed a new, domestically produced drone against Russian forces.

“Today, for the first time, we successfully deployed a new weapon in combat, a completely new class of weapons: the Ukrainian missile drone ‘Palyanitsa’,” Zelensky said.

He did not give further details, but added that “the enemy had been hit” and thanked the developers and manufacturers.

Polish President Andrzej Duda arrived in Kiev by train early Saturday morning in a symbolic show of support for one of Ukraine’s key allies.

Videos posted by his office show him being greeted by Ukrainian officials and later paying his respects at a ceremony at Ukraine’s Wall of Remembrance for the Fallen.

Mr Duda’s visit to Kiev, his fifth since February 2022, is a signal that Warsaw continues to support Ukraine, even though the war has been going on for three years.

Poland, located west of Ukraine, has donated weapons and become a hub for Western arms destined for Ukraine.