Defenders of Mariupol and others: Ukraine returns 90 soldiers from Russian captivity
Ukraine has conducted another exchange of prisoners of war with Russia. 90 defenders have returned home, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Telegram and the Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak on Telegram.
"At home is not just a word. At home is Ukraine. Today, another 90 of our people returned home from Russian captivity," wrote the head of state.
Photo: exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
According to him, those returned from captivity include National Guard soldiers, Navy personnel, territorial defense fighters, and border guards. They defended Mariupol and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant and fought in the Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions.
Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine remembers all individuals in Russian captivity and continues efforts for their release.
The head of state thanked the team involved in the exchanges, which includes Chief of the Defense Intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, Head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak, Security Service of Ukraine Chief Vasyl Maliuk, and others.
Zelenskyy also highlighted the role of the UAE in facilitating this prisoner exchange.
In turn, Andrii Yermak stated that as a result of the exchange, 52 defenders of Azovstal and captives from the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant were released.
"We expect a continuation in the near future," he added.
It should be noted that earlier, the Russian side announced an exchange of prisoners with Ukraine according to the 90-90 formula.
Prisoner exchange
The last prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place at the end of May.
At that time, 71 soldiers managed to return home. Among them were defenders of Mariupol, Zmiinyi (Snake Island), Hostomel, and Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.