Fri Nov 22 17:46:13 UTC 2024: ## Dozens of Russian Civilians Returned from Ukraine After Negotiations
**MOSCOW, Russia** – Forty-six Russian civilians, including twelve children, have been returned to Russia from Ukraine following negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, Russian officials announced Friday. The residents, all from the Sudzhansky district of the Kursk region bordering Ukraine, were brought back via Belarus. The return comes after a Ukrainian offensive in August that saw Ukrainian forces briefly occupy parts of the Kursk region, including the border town of Sudzha.
The circumstances surrounding the civilians’ presence in Ukraine remain unclear, with Kyiv yet to comment publicly. Russian officials described the negotiations as “painstaking and lengthy.” Among those returned was three-year-old Darina, whose mother, Anastasia Gridina, had been desperately seeking her daughter’s return after being separated during the offensive. Gridina had previously appealed to President Putin for help.
The exchange is a rare instance of cooperation between Russia and Ukraine amidst escalating tensions, marked by recent long-range missile strikes by both sides. While large-scale peace talks remain stalled, limited exchanges of civilians, prisoners of war, and the bodies of fallen soldiers have become the only channels of communication between the warring nations.
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