Another 185 soldiers returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity

Author:
Veronika Dovhaniuk
Date:

Another 185 military personnel and one civilian have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity.

This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Among those released are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Service of Ukraine. These are soldiers, sergeants, and officers.

Also among them are servicemen who operated in Mariupol and “Azovstal”, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv and Kursk directions. It was also possible to return those servicemen who were captured in 2022.

According to the head of the Presidentʼs Office Kyrylo Budanov, the exchange was facilitated by the UAE and the USA.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that during the 75th exchange, a civilian who had been in captivity since 2022 also returned to Ukraine. The youngest of the released is 26 years old, the oldest is 62. Among the released are two officers.

"All those released will undergo a medical examination, receive treatment, be provided with necessary items for the first time, receive appropriate payments, undergo rehabilitation and reintegration into society after prolonged isolation in Russian captivity," the Coordination Headquarters added.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that all of those released were officially confirmed as prisoners of war through the International Committee of the Red Cross. Fifteen of the returned Ukrainians will have their birthdays this month.

Also among the soldiers released today is a father and son. They served in the same brigade and were captured in 2022, one day apart.

  • On May 15, 205 servicemen returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity as part of the first stage of a 1 000-for-1 000 exchange.

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