Ukraine returned 100 defenders of Ukraine from Russian captivity. In return, Russia received 100 of its occupiers.
This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
"All of them are ours, all of them are back on their native land. We are working on each and every one and we will not stop until we get everyone back!" Zelensky said.
Among the rescued servicemen are 49 soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine, 25 border guards, 26 servicemen of the Armed Forces, including 11 Teroboronmen. All the freed are privates and non-commissioned officers, the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
84 rescued soldiers defended Mariupol (in particular, 82 soldiers — defenders of "Azovstal"), the rest performed combat missions in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions. In particular, it was possible to save the medic who, in extremely difficult conditions, was rescuing the wounded on "Azovstal", native brothers Mykola and Roman.
At least 28 of those freed are injured or seriously ill. The oldest of the released prisoners is already 62 years old, and the youngest is 20.
- Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has already returned 3,135 defenders from Russian captivity. The last exchange of prisoners of war took place on January 31, 2024, when 207 soldiers were returned.