Head of the Chechen Republic Ramzan Kadyrov announced that 20 of the 157 Russian soldiers exchanged on February 5 and returned from Ukrainian captivity were natives of Chechnya.

He noted that work to return the prisoners is ongoing. He particularly praised the efforts of the regional operational headquarters for the "SVO" (Special Operational Headquarters), headed by Magomed Daudov, and State Duma Deputy Shamsail Saraliev, who, at Kadyrov's direction, is actively working to free the Russian soldiers, closely coordinating with the relevant agencies.

"Recently, answering journalists' questions in Moscow, I announced that the next stage of the release of Russian soldiers would soon take place. At that time, the issue of prisoner exchange was also discussed with my dear elder brother, the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. We are grateful to him for his participation in resolving important issues,” Kadyrov said.