On May 24, Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky officially confirmed that another 307 Ukrainian soldiers had been rescued from enemy captivity as part of a large-scale prisoner exchange.
Points of attention
- The recent exchange marks a significant milestone as prisoners were released from individual military units, with notable return of 27 Defenders of Mariupol.
- The liberated defenders are men, representing privates and sergeants who fought in multiple Ukrainian directions including Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Luhansk.
307 defenders returned from Russian captivity
Volodymyr Zelenskyy May 24 is the second day of the 1000-for-1000 exchange, which was agreed upon in Turkey.
As of today, 697 people have been rescued from enemy captivity.
The third stage of a large-scale exchange with Russia will take place on May 25.
Among those who returned today are soldiers of our army, the State Border Service, the National Guard of Ukraine. Thank you to everyone involved in the exchange process, who is working around the clock. Our goal is to return each and every person from Russian captivity.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
According to the head of state, he and his team will continue to cooperate with allies to make this possible.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (KSHPPV) officially confirmed that servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Ukrainian Border Guard, the Naval Forces, the Ukrainian Border Guard Forces, as well as the State Border Service and the National Guard of Ukraine, returned home today.
What is important to understand is that it was the first time that prisoners were released from individual units and military units.
In the current exchange, 27 Defenders of Mariupol are returning to their homeland. All 307 liberated Defenders are men, representatives of privates and sergeants. In general, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia and Luhansk directions are returning home, the message says.
