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STORY: Russia and Ukraine conducted a major exchange of prisoners on Saturday (September 14) - 206 people in total - in their second such swap in two days, officials said.

:: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that all 103 Ukrainians returned were from the military.

Footage published by Ukrainian authorities showed the men, draped in their national flag, speaking to loved ones over the phone.

::Russian Defence Ministry

Russia's Defence Ministry also released video of its returned servicemen on a bus in an undisclosed location.

According to the ministry's statement, its 103 soldiers had been taken prisoner in Russia's Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces captured territory early August in their first major incursion into the country.

::80th Separate Air Assault Halytska Brigade

::Released 16 August, 2024

The ministry also said, the prisoner swap came after mediation by the United Arab Emirates.

But in the background of the exchange, tensions were rising as Russian officials issued threats to the West and Kyiv of an uncontrolled escalation of war...

Coming as Western leaders discussed whether to allow Ukraine to use their weapons to strike deep into Russian territory.

U.S. President Joe Biden met with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in Washington on Friday.

[STARMER] “...Ukraine has a right to self defense..."

Neither leader addressed the issue of long-range missiles with reporters after the meeting, but Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov alleged the decision had already been made and communicated to Kyiv.

::File

State-owned RIA news agency quoted Ryabkov as saying, "And we will react in a way that will not be pretty."

While former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, now deputy chairman of the country's security council, wrote on the Telegram messaging app about turning Kyiv into a "a giant, grey, melted spot".

::National Police of Ukraine

Ukraine has said long range strikes are critical for its efforts to stop Moscow's invasion.

But allies have so far been reluctant to permit them, citing fears of an escalation while also doubting their efficiency.