Ukraine has brought back 205 military personnel from Russian captivity. This marks the first stage of a large-scale “1000 for 1000” prisoner exchange.
The announcement was made by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to him, the released prisoners include servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.
Among those freed are privates, sergeants, and officers.
Most of them had been held in Russian captivity since 2022.
Zelenskyy said the released soldiers defended Mariupol and Azovstal, and also fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv directions, as well as near the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The president thanked everyone involved in securing the release of Ukrainian prisoners, including Ukrainian soldiers who help replenish the exchange fund.
“We will continue fighting for every man and woman who remains in captivity,” Zelenskyy said.
