Ukraine and Russia carry out new prisoner swap
Illustrative photo: Ukraine and Russia exchange prisoners of war (Getty Images)
Ukraine and Russia, on Thursday, October 2, carried out another exchange of prisoners of war. 185 Ukrainian defenders returned home, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
"We are bringing home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred eighty-three are enlisted personnel and sergeants, and two are officers," the President stated.
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Photo: Ukraine has brought home 185 defenders (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
He specified that the group included servicemen of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. They defended Mariupol and the Azovstal plant, as well as the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.
Along with the soldiers, 20 civilians were also returned.
The President promised that all Ukrainians who came back would receive the necessary assistance.
"Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we have already brought over 7,000 of our people home. We must bring everyone back, and we work on this every single day," Zelenskyy emphasized.
Details from the Coordination Headquarters
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified that some of the captives were returned under the Istanbul agreements, while others were released as part of the latest, 69th exchange.
The freed soldiers had defended Ukraine in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions.
Among those returning home are National Guard members who defended the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The youngest released defender is 26 years old, and the oldest is 59.
What is special about this exchange
Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets noted that the peculiarity of today’s exchange lies in the fact that almost all of the freed soldiers had been in captivity since 2022.
At the same time, two of the returned defenders will celebrate their birthdays tomorrow, October 3.
Announcement of a new exchange
On September 19, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine was preparing a new prisoner swap with Russia.
According to him, the exchange is expected to bring home another 1,000 Ukrainians currently held in Russian captivity.
Zelenskyy stated that National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov discussed such an exchange with Vladimir Medinsky, an aide to the Russian President.
The last prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on August 24, Ukraine’s Independence Day. According to Zelenskyy, most of those released had been in captivity since 2022.
The President did not specify the exact number of defenders who returned home.
