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00:00 (BAND PLAYING)
00:03 SIMON OSTROVSKY: Singing their national anthem, wrapped in the flag, these Ukrainian soldiers
00:09 celebrated their release from Russian captivity, as Moscow and Kiev on Wednesday announced
00:15 their first major prisoner exchange since last summer.
00:19 Two hundred twenty-four Ukrainian soldiers and six civilians were freed, President Volodymyr
00:26 Zelensky hailing their return.
00:28 VOLODYMYR ZELENSKY, Russian President (through translator): Today, despite all the challenges,
00:32 there is a long-awaited good news.
00:34 We managed to free over 200 of our people from Russian captivity, warriors and, very
00:39 importantly, civilians.
00:41 We remember all Ukrainians held in Russian captivity.
00:44 There was a long pause in the exchanges, but there was no pause in the negotiations regarding
00:49 the exchanges.
00:50 SIMON OSTROVSKY: On the Russian side, applause aboard a chartered bus as some of the 248
00:57 Ukrainian servicemen turned over by Ukraine prepared to repatriate.
01:01 The deal, which Moscow says involved complex negotiations brokered by the United Arab Emirates,
01:07 is the largest prisoner swap since the start of Russia's invasion nearly two years ago.
01:14 Sixty-six of the Ukrainian POWs were reportedly part of the defense of Mariupol and the siege
01:19 of the sprawling Azov-style steel plant there, an epic three-month battle that ended with
01:25 most of the city in ruins and Russia taking some 2,500 prisoners.
01:30 Nearly two dozen of those prisoners have been subjected to show trials in Russia that NGOs
01:36 have denounced as a sham and a violation of the Geneva Conventions.