Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners — 108 women were returned home. On October 17, the head of the Presidentʼs Office, Andriy Yermak, announced this.
Among those released are 37 evacuees from Azovstal, 11 officers, 85 privates and sergeants. Of them:
- 35 defenders from the Armed Forces;
- 32 — Naval Forces;
- 12 — Territorial defense;
- 8 — National Guard (two from "Azov");
- 5 — State special transport service;
- 4 — State border service;
- 12 civilians.
1 2
Among those released were girls who were illegally tied up in the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions before February 24. "People have been sitting in pseudo-republics since 2019 for their ʼtoo pro-Ukrainian positionʼ, which was expressed in the transportation of humanitarian aid for orphans, fabricated ʼespionageʼ and ʼterrorism,ʼ" explained Andriy Yermak.