'Little one only knows her father from photos' - Exlusive report on POWs swap
Photo: Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner of war exchange (https://t.me/Klymenko_MVS )
Ukraine has managed to free more than 200 defenders and civilians from Russian captivity. Most of them had been held in detention since 2022.
RBC-Ukraine reveals an exclusive report on the prisoner exchange.
Today, the sides carried out the 69th prisoner exchange. Among them were 185 servicemen – privates, sergeants, and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and other formations.
The warriors defended Ukraine in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions. Among those released were defenders of Mariupol, Azovstal, and the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
The youngest freed defender is 26 years old, while the oldest is 59. Two of the servicemen will celebrate their first birthdays in many years in freedom tomorrow.
As for the civilians, they ended up in the Russian prisons in the first months of the full-scale invasion. Many were taken straight from their homes.
"This was a combined exchange. Part of it followed the Istanbul agreements, with the guys returning — meaning those who are severely wounded, gravely ill, or young people under 25. And partially, it was the regular 69th exchange. In total, it’s 185 of our defenders and 20 civilians," Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters, told RBC-Ukraine.
How families welcomed those freed from captivity
Iryna and her son Mykyta had been waiting almost four years for the return of their husband and father. On the first day of the invasion, he was at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant, where he was taken prisoner.
"No calls, no letters, I only knew that he was alive. Today I will finally hug him," the woman said.
Her son always spoke about his father, constantly asking whether he had been released, she added.
"When I heard that dad had been freed, I was ready to go to him in a minute," Mykyta said.
Since February 24, 2022, Ihor Pavliuk had also been in captivity. His mother and wife received news about him from his comrades. In 2023, they even managed to connect with him via video call. The women did not know until the very last moment that Ihor would be released today. They came to the exchange with their little daughter.
"The little one no longer remembers him; she only knows her father from photos," said the mother of the released soldier.
Natalia came to meet her husband with his favorite cake.
"His comrades who returned said that he was waiting for someone to bring him a chocolate cake, chebureki, and dumplings during the exchange. I didn’t manage the chebureki or dumplings. Before the full-scale war, I used to bake chocolate cakes, but today it’s this one (a store-bought one - ed.)," she added.
Relatives of those listed as missing also come to the exchanges. Daria has had no news of her husband for over a year. He fought in the Pokrovsk direction.
"I came here with hope, maybe someone has seen him," the woman said.
She added that the family received the news about her husband’s status on their daughter’s birthday. They believe he is alive and will return home soon.
The report was prepared by RBC-Ukraine correspondent Vladyslava Pidlisna.
Prisoner exchange
On Thursday, October 2, Ukraine and Russia carried out another exchange of prisoners of war. A total of 185 defenders returned home.
It is noted that today’s exchange between Ukraine and Russia was a combined one. Part of it followed the Istanbul agreements, while the other part was the regular 69th exchange.
