On May 15, 205 Ukrainian servicemen returned home from enemy captivity as part of a large-scale 1,000-for-1,000 exchange. This was announced by Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky.
Points of attention
- The release includes privates, sergeants, and officers, with gratitude expressed to the U.S. and the U.A.E. for their mediation.
- The youngest released defender was 21 years old, while the oldest was 62 years old.
A new phase of prisoner exchange — all the details
205 Ukrainians are home. Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Service are returning from Russian captivity. This is the first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Head of State draws attention to the fact that among those released are privates, sergeants, and officers.
What is important to understand is that most of them have been in Russian captivity since 2022.
They defended their homeland in Mariupol and Azovstal, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Sumy, Kyiv directions, and the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
It is worth noting that the duration of captivity is the key principle in forming the “1000 for 1000” exchange lists.
In addition to soldiers and sergeants, more than fifty officers were able to return home. Among those released today is a National Guardsman who was captured at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV) reports.
In addition, it is noted that the youngest dismissed defender was 21 years old, and the oldest was 62 years old.
Against this background, the Ukrainian authorities would like to express their gratitude to the United States and the United Arab Emirates for their important mediation and assistance in the prisoner exchange.
