The negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on exchanging POWs, including Croatian national Vjekoslav Prebeg, took several months, the Saudi ambassador to Croatia based in Sarajevo, Osama bin Dakhil al-Ahmadi, told Croatian state agency Hina.

Ten foreign fighters, who were held by Russians, were released as part of the prisoner swap last week, following mediation by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Hina did not report who were they swapped for.

The Saudi ambassador told Hina that “since the very beginning of the process, the Saudi Crown Prince has been interested in alleviating the ferocity of the crisis between Russia and Ukraine as much as it is possible.” To this end, on 3 March, Prince Mohammed offered his assistance to Russian and Ukrainian Presidents, Vladimir Putin and Volodymyr Zelenskyy, via phone.

In April, he informed Putin and the then UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, of his readiness to mediate in the efforts to free two Britons held captive, in exchange for the release of a certain number of prisoners in Ukraine, the diplomat says in the interview published by Hina on Wednesday.

As soon as he heard that there were also some other (foreign) POWs, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman “immediately included them in his mediation efforts,” according to al-Ahmadi. “As it is usual in such complicated circumstances, such mediation efforts take some time,” he added.

The Saudi authorities took over the ten foreign POWs, held captive by the pro-Russian forces in east Ukraine, and transported them to Saudi Arabia from where they were flown to their respective countries. In this exchange, five Britons, two US nationals, a Moroccan, a Swede, and the Croatian, Vjekoslav Prebeg, were released.

A native of Zagreb, Prebeg was captured near Mariupol in late April, and accused by pro-Russian separatist authorities of participating in the overthrowing of the government as a Ukrainian mercenary. He faced a death sentence. In August, he pleaded not guilty before a court of the unrecognized Donetsk People’s Republic, where he was on trial together with one Swedish and three British nationals.

“The Saudi mediation has led to the release of over 250 POWs, and this has been the first swap to include the freeing of foreign fighters,” Hina said. The Saudi ambassador emphasized that the Saudi authorities were engaged “only for humanitarian reasons.”

“The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia confirms its commitment to the fulfillment of its humane duty in addressing a high number of outstanding issues in various countries and regions,” he said.

Prebeg and the released group of foreign POWs were transported from eastern Ukraine via Rostov-on-Don to Saudi Arabia, with Prebeg then flown to Zagreb. Upon his arrival in Zagreb, Prebeg was taken to the KB Dubrava hospital which reported that the patient was in a good physical condition but “emotionally shaken”.