On December 30, Ukraine held its 11th prisoner exchange with the Russian Federation this year — 189 Ukrainians returned home.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified that the following were released from captivity:
- 87 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (17 of them — Teroborony);
- 43 National Guard servicemen;
- 33 border guards;
- 24 Navy soldiers.
Two civilians also returned from captivity.
In addition to Mariupol and Zmiiniy Island, the liberated ones defended Ukraine in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Kherson directions, and the National Guardsmen served to protect the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. They also returned those who were captured in Kursk.
Many Ukrainian citizens have been in Russian captivity for over 2.5 years. The defenders have acute chronic diseases, the consequences of mine and explosive injuries, and serious injuries.
This time, 173 privates and sergeants and 14 officers were dismissed.
This is one of the largest exchanges since the full-scale invasion. In total, 3,956 people have already returned from Russian captivity, including 1,358 in 2024.
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