This is a major event that betrays the emerging diplomacy of the United Arab Emirates where Russia and Ukraine have exchanged 190 prisoners. The exchange, through the good offices of the UAE, involved each side swapping 95 of its prisoners of war; this essentially is another example of how the Emirates has used diplomacy and humanitarianism to bring warring factions to the negotiating table.
The Russian defense ministry acknowledged the swap and said that 95 Russian soldiers were released from Ukrainian captivity. Consequently, 95 Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged for Ukrainian military officers. For instance, the human rights center Zmina said that prominent Ukrainian rights activist Maksym Butkevych was among the prisoners released in the exchange.
Butkevych, a co-founder of the Ukrainian independent radio Hromadske and a Ukrainian military man, had been tried for war crimes in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine and was sentenced to 13 years in prison. He signed up for the Ukrainian armed forces in March 2022, was arrested in June 2022, and was sentenced by a Luhansk court in March 2023.
UAE’s Humanitarian and Diplomatic Approach
Analyzing the UAE’s intervention in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has created a sustainable humanitarian mechanism for exchanging prisoners. This latest exchange exhibits the Emirates’ diplomatic efforts in trying to cool tensions and bring closer warring nations all over the globe.
The UAE has facilitated the release of 230 more prisoners from Russia and Ukraine sides. This is the seventh time this year that the UAE has assisted the two nations in swapping prisoners. Until now, 1788 prisoners have been released with the assistance of UAE.
The UAE was able to do this because it enjoys good relations with both Russia and Ukraine. Only last month they assisted in another prisoner swap. The UAE has claimed that it would continue to assist both the countries to seek diplomatic means to resolve the conflict.
The UAE thinks that the only way to address this conflict is through negotiation and de-escalation of violence. They are useful when it comes to such swaps – in fact, they assisted Russia and the United States in the prisoner exchange in December, 2022.
Ongoing Conflict and International Implications
Even at this point of collaboration, the conflict is still a blow to both parties to the conflict in equal measure. Russia says it has seized several villages in eastern Ukraine, including Zhelanne Pershe, which is located within 20 miles of the crucial Ukrainian-controlled supply depot of Pokrovsk.
This subject matter underscores the human price of the continuing conflict and at the same time, highlights that there are lines of communication through which humanitarian assistance can take place. The UAE has helped in these exchanges pointing to its growing significance in diplomacy, for a country that is actually helping in the protracted process that may someday lead to broader negotiations for peace.
With the recent rising conflict between Russia and the West regarding the ongoing debate on the capabilities of Ukraine to engage in the deployment of weapons with greater ranges for attacks inside Russian territory, the role of the UAE as a neutral power will come in handy. They are a critical link for communication in a conflict that appears to be very polarized at the moment.
