On 31 May, Ukraine and Russia conducted a new exchange of prisoners of war after a long pause. This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
POW exchange between Ukraine and Russia — the first details
According to the president, all this time he and his team did not stop working for a single day to bring home each and every one of the Russian captives.
And today we have an important result: another 75 of our people have returned to Ukraine. Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard, border guards, four civilians — all of them are already in their native land, Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
He also emphasised that Ukraine remembers each of its citizens who are still in captivity.
We make every effort to find each and every one. Thanks to the team working on exchanges! — concluded the head of state.
The coordination headquarters revealed the details of the new exchange of prisoners
It is important to understand that the exchange took place thanks to the efforts of the Coordination Staff on the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
It was possible to rescue 70 men and five women from Russian captivity: six officers and 65 representatives of the ranks and sergeants.
It is also worth noting that at least a third of those rescued have injuries, serious illnesses or disabilities.
This time, 37 representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were released from captivity, including 13 soldiers of the Naval Forces and two representatives of the Air Force. Also, 21 national guardsmen were released from captivity. Seven border guardsmen, six teroboronmen and four Ukrainian civilians are returning home, the report says.
In addition, it is reported that 19 defenders of the Snake Island, 14 military personnel who guarded the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, as well as ten defenders of Mariupol have been freed.
This was already the 52nd exchange of prisoners since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Russia.
Ukraine was able to rescue 3,210 defenders of Ukraine from Russian captivity.
Against this background, the Coordination Headquarters expressed its gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for its active participation in the new exchange.
Work on the return of Ukrainian prisoners continues.
