On March 6, Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed that Ukraine was able to agree on the return of another 300 Ukrainian defense personnel, as well as 2 civilians, from Russian captivity.
Points of attention
- The heroism of the Ukrainian soldiers and the support from border communities demonstrated strong care, solidarity, and patriotism.
- Kirill Budanov, Head of the OPU, expressed gratitude for the successful prisoner exchange and acknowledged the efforts of all involved parties.
New prisoner exchange — first details
Another 300 Ukrainian defenders are returning home from Russian captivity. We also managed to return two Ukrainian civilians today. Among them are guys from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, our border service. Privates, sergeants, officers.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Head of State draws attention to the fact that Ukrainian soldiers rescued from enemy captivity held the defense in various directions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, and Mariupol.
What is important to understand is that most of them have been in captivity for over a year, some for the past 4 years.
Thank you to all our soldiers who ensure this result, replenishing the exchange fund for Ukraine. Thank you to the entire team that worked for this result. Grateful to the United States for its mediation. It is important that the agreements worked. We remember each and every one and we must definitely return all our people.
The head of the OPU, Kirill Budanov, has already reacted to the successful exchange of prisoners, thanks to whose efforts it became possible.
According to him, in two stages, 500 soldiers and two civilians were returned home.
I would like to especially thank all the people from the border communities who come out with blue-yellow and red-black flags to meet the Defenders of Ukraine on their way home every time — this is the best evidence of our care, solidarity, and patriotism. I am proud of how we all stand by each other in this historic time!
Kirill Budanov
Head of the OPU
