Planes carrying former detainees landed in Moscow and Kiev airports, marking the conclusion to the long-awaited swap between Russia and Ukraine. The numbers have been put at 35 people for 35.

Despite many delays and setbacks, the swap finally happened on Saturday. The government plane carrying the released Russians landed in Moscow this afternoon. The jet with the freed Ukrainians earlier touched down in Kiev, where they were greeted by a large joyous crowd and President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The long-awaited prisoner exchange “has been completed,” Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova confirmed. She hailed the event as “a historical mass-scale humanitarian action,” confirming the swap was “35-for-35.”

It followed months of painstaking behind-the-scenes negotiations. Both presidents were also involved, as Russian leader Vladimir Putin discussed the matter with Zelensky over the phone several times.

DETAILS TO FOLLOW