Following mediation by the Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Russia on Wednesday released 10 foreign prisoners of war who had been detained in Ukraine, according to the Saudi foreign ministry.
The ministry claimed in a statement that the list includes citizens of Sweden, Morocco, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Croatia. It also announced that a plane carrying the convicts had landed in the kingdom.
According to the statement, “the pertinent Saudi authorities received and transferred them from Russia to the kingdom and are facilitating procedures for their respective countries.”
The detainees were not identified by the ministry. Five Britons, two Americans, a Croat, a Moroccan, and a Swedish citizen, according to a Saudi official, were among them.
Since Russia’s incursion on February 24, several foreigners have travelled to Ukraine to participate in combat. Along with other foreigners who claim they were not fighters, some of them have been captured by Russian soldiers.
Despite intense pressure from Washington, Riyadh’s longtime partner, to isolate Russia, Prince Mohammed has maintained tight ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, especially within the framework of the OPEC+ oil producers group.
Since the commencement of the battle, hundreds of enemy combatants have been taken prisoner by Ukrainian and Russian forces, and a few prisoner swaps have also occurred.
Earlier this month, the chief of the U.N. human rights mission in Ukraine claimed that Russia was preventing access to prisoners of war and that the organisation had proof that some of them had experienced torture and other ill treatment that would have constituted war crimes.
Russia denies torturing POWs or subjecting them to other types of abuse.
Featured Image: cfr.org
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