One of largest exchanges since beginning of full-scale invasion took place today, 173 privates and sergeants and 14 officers were released - Coordination Center. VIDEO&PHOTOS
On Monday, 30 December, 189 citizens were released and returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Among those who returned are prisoners of war in the Kursk region, civilians, and National Guardsmen from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.
This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Censor.NET reports.
"This is one of the largest exchanges conducted by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War since the full-scale invasion. In total, 3956 people have already been returned from Russian captivity within the framework of the Coordination Headquarters on behalf of the President of Ukraine, including 1358 in 2024," the statement said.
During this exchange, he was released:
- 87 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (17 of them were territorial defence soldiers);
- 43 - National Guard of Ukraine;
- 33 - the State Border Guard Service;
- 24 - Navy.
We also managed to release two civilians from Russian captivity who were captured in Mariupol.
In addition to Mariupol and Zmiinyi Island, the liberated defended Ukraine in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson directions, and the National Guard served to protect the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Ukraine also returned those who were taken prisoner in the Kursk region.
The Coordination Center noted that many Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity for more than two and a half years. The defenders have acute chronic illnesses, consequences of mine-blast injuries, and severe wounds.
"This time 173 privates and sergeants and 14 officers were released. Traditionally, we express our gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for their assistance in organizing the exchange," the press service added.
As a reminder, Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war on 30 December. They managed to return 189 Ukrainian defenders home.
