Among those released from captivity on 24 August were former Kherson mayor Mykolaienko and journalists Khyliuk and Kaliush. PHOTOS
As part of the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia, former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko and journalists Dmytro Khyliuk and Mark Kaliush were returned home from Russian captivity on 24 August.
This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Censor.NET reports.
"Finally, two Ukrainian journalists are free: Dmytro Khyliuk and Mark Kaliush. They were illegally detained by the occupiers in 2022 and 2023. Among the released civilians is also a medic, Serhii Kovalev, from the Hospitallers battalion, who saved the lives of defenders and civilians during the siege at the Azovstal plant. The former mayor of Kherson Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who did not cooperate with the occupiers, is also returning home," the Coordination Centre said.
The Coordination Headquarters also said that among the released soldiers are representatives of almost all defence forces: airborne, air assault, naval, as well as soldiers of the TD, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.
It is noted that all the released defence personnel are privates and sergeants. Almost all of them spent more than three years in captivity.
"The servicemen who have returned today defended the city of Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, Sumy directions, and guarded the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Also, those who fell into the hands of the enemy in the temporarily occupied territories and Crimea will see their relatives," the statement said.
The Coordination Centre added that the liberated Ukrainians will receive a full range of necessary medical care. Each of them will undergo a medical examination and appropriate treatment. They will also receive payments provided for by the state, undergo rehabilitation and reintegration into society after prolonged isolation in Russian captivity.
As a reminder, on Sunday, 24 August, a prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and civilians are returning home to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022.
Earlier it was reported that the former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolayenko, who was abducted by the Russians in April 2022, was to be exchanged, but he gave way to a seriously ill prisoner.
