Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has returned 5 857 people from captivity. Outside of exchanges, another 555 people have been returned.
This was stated by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to him, as a result of the Istanbul agreements, more than a thousand of our soldiers were returned.
"We hope to release those civilians who are still being held in Russia," the president added.
A few days earlier, on July 24, during a conversation with journalists, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian side was already compiling lists of civilians held in Russian captivity. The president noted that they could not exchange civilians, as they had to be released without an exchange. Therefore, they were now looking for a format for these lists, both on their side and on the Russian side.
- Following the third round of talks in Istanbul on July 23, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to exchange 1 200 prisoners of war.
- From this year, July 28 in Ukraine has become the Day of Remembrance of Ukrainian defenders, members of volunteer formations and civilians who died or were tortured or executed in captivity. This date was not chosen by chance: in the colony of occupied Olenivka on the night of July 29, 2022, at least 53 Ukrainian prisoners of war from “Azovstal” were killed in a Russian terrorist attack. Another 130 people were injured. Previously, the Russians struck with thermobaric weapons.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.