Families reunite with loved ones in Ukraine after prisoners are released in exchange with Russia

Families reunited with their loved ones in Ukraine on Thursday after prisoners were released in exchange with Russia. According to Associated Press President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the return of 157 Ukrainians, following trilateral peace talks in the UAE's capital of Abu Dhabi. The Ukrainian leaders said those brought home include personnel from the armed forces, the National Guard, and the Border Guard Service. Dozens of people arrived in Chernihiv with portraits of their loved ones, hoping they were included in the exchange. ''Today I received this joyful news and realized that my husband had been released,'' said Olka Maleva, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier who was released on Thursday. The freed soldiers fought in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporozhye, Kursan, Sumy, and Kiev regions. Ukraine's coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war said that those released include 150 service members and seven civilians. Envoys from Moscow and Kiev met in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday for another round of U.S.-brokered talks on ending the almost four-year war. Last month's discussions in Abu Dhabi, part of a U.S. push to end the fighting, yielded some progress but no breakthrough on key issues, officials said. ''I always come to meet the guys, and today I received this joyful news and realized that my husband had been released,'' said Olka Maleva, the wife of a Ukrainian soldier who was released on Thursday. ''I understand that our Ukrainian negotiators are doing a lot of work, bringing our people home, because we understand that we have a case and are negotiating with people who shoot missiles in children's hospitals. We know how they do it, and we are very grateful to them.'' ''It's our life today, guys. It's not just like that. We have to follow it. It's a part of all of us. We live in it. How can we not follow it? Moreover, you see that these talks concern us directly. I think one of the small steps of these talks is that today my child is at home. I am grateful to everyone.'' President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the return of 157 Ukrainians as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia, resulting from trilateral talks in the UAE's capital of Abu Dhabi. According to Associated Press the Ukrainian leader said those brought home include personnel from the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the Border Guard Service. Soldiers, sergeants, and officers. Civilians are also returning along with the defenders. Most had been in captivity since 2022, Zelensky said. A video released by Rustam Yumarov, the chief of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, showed an injured person brought to Ukraine by an ambulance. Today's exchange took place after a long pause, and it is very important that it was made possible, Zelensky said. Ukraine's coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war said that those released include 150 service members and seven civilians. Of the military personnel, 139 had been taken prisoner by Russia back in 2022, it said. More than half of those freed were captured during the defense of Mariupol. A serviceman of the National Guard, who was taken captive during the seizure of the Kornobyl nuclear power plant, is also returning home, it added. Ukrainian, Russian and U.S. envoys met in the United Arab Emirates in January as part of Washington's push for progress to end Moscow's nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Glory to Ukraine! Glory to the heroes! Glory!