Ukraine announced it had exchanged more than 100 prisoners with Russia on Monday, in the first all-female exchange with Moscow after nearly eight months of war.
“Another large-scale exchange of prisoners of war was carried out today … we freed 108 women from captivity,” the Ukrainian presidency's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on social media.
Denis Pushilin, head of the breakaway region of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, confirmed the exchange, saying that out of the 110 people involved in the swap, two had decided to remain in Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defence said that 72 people returned from Ukraine were part of the crew of civilian ships held by Ukraine since February.
It said all those returned would be flown to Moscow and provided with medical and psychological assistance.
Ukraine capital Kyiv hit by kamikaze drones — in pictures
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Firefighters in action after a drone fired on buildings in Kyiv, Ukraine. AP -
A drone approaches for an attack in the Ukraine capital. AFP -
A police officer fires at a drone flying overhead. AFP -
Smoke rises from a building after a drone attack. AFP -
A Ukrainian serviceman takes cover as an air-raid siren sounds. Reuters -
Debris near the site of a drone attack. AFP -
Police stand guard as smoke rises from buildings. Reuters -
A drone in the sky seconds before it fired on buildings. AP -
Plumes of smoke rise after a Russian drone strike. Reuters
Mr Yermak said on the Ukraine side that some of the people exchanged were mothers and daughters who had been held together. Thirty-seven, he said, had surrendered at the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol.
Images released by Mr Yermak showed dozens of women — some wearing coats and military fatigues — disembarking from white buses.
Mariupol, a port city on the Sea of Azov in south-eastern Ukraine, withstood weeks of relentless Russian bombardment, with resistance concentrated in a dense network of underground tunnels at its Azovstal steel plant.
Vladimir Putin annexes four regions of Ukraine — in pictures
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From left, Moscow-appointed head of Kherson region Vladimir Saldo, Moscow-appointed head of Zaporizhzhia region Yevgeny Balitsky, Russian President Vladimir Putin, leader of the Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin, and leader of the Luhansk People's Republic Leonid Pasechnik during a ceremony to sign an annexation agreement with Russia in Moscow. AP -
Russians gather for a celebration after the ceremony in central Moscow. EPA -
People gather near a screen showing Mr Putin during a broadcast of the ceremony. Reuters -
Mr Putin speaks during the ceremony to sign the treaties for the new territories' accession to Russia at the Grand Kremlin Palace in Moscow. EPA -
Law enforcement officers stand guard as people walk towards Red Square to attend the ceremony marking the annexation of the Russian-controlled territories. Reuters -
Participants listen to Mr Putin at the ceremony in the Georgievsky Hall of the Great Kremlin Palace in Moscow. Reuters -
Honour guards attend the ceremony. Reuters -
Russian Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu arrives at the ceremony. AP -
People walk towards Red Square in Moscow. Reuters -
People gather in front of screens located near the Kremlin before the live broadcast of the ceremony. Reuters
