Ukraine returns 71 defenders and 4 civilians from Russian captivity
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
On Friday, May 31, Ukraine returned 75 people from Russian captivity. Among them are 71 servicemen, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“All this time, we have not stopped working for a day to bring home every one of the Russian captives. And today we have an important result: 75 more of our people have returned to Ukraine,” he says.
According to the President, soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard, border guards, and four civilians returned from Russian captivity.
“We remember all of them. We are making every effort to find every one of them. I am grateful to the team working on the exchanges,” he says.
In his turn, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the Office's staff is at the exchange site to monitor the observance of human rights following international humanitarian law and the Geneva Conventions.
“The defenders, who heard the voices of their relatives for the first time in a long time, were overwhelmed with emotions. The families reacted to the calls no less emotionally, as some of them had not heard the voices of their relatives since the beginning of the Russian invasion of our land,” he adds.
Lubinets also thanked the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and the Joint Center for the Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War and Illegally Deprived of Liberty as a Result of Aggression against Ukraine under the Security Service of Ukraine for their fruitful work.
In addition, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, Ihor Klymenko, added that among those who were returned were 29 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine: 21 National Guardsmen, 7 border guards, and a police officer.
Also among those returned are the defenders of Mariupol, Zmiinyi, Hostomel, and 14 defenders of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Photo: prisoner exchange (t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs)
Prisoners of war exchange
Not long ago, Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets expressed hope for positive news regarding the return of children and other Ukrainian citizens deported by Russia. According to him, this is expected to happen soon.
Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, several prisoner-of-war exchanges have taken place. However, over the past year, Russia has significantly complicated the process of such exchanges.
On April 24, Easter, Pope Francis called on Ukraine and Russia to exchange prisoners under the all-for-all formula. Ukraine expressed its readiness for such an exchange, but, as expected, Russia refused.
