President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the successful return of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russian captivity. He wrote about this on social media on 19 April.
‘277 defenders have returned home – soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Special Transport Service and border guards. They defended Ukraine in various areas, including Mariupol, Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions.
The President thanked everyone involved in organising the exchange and particularly noted the role of the United Arab Emirates, which acted as intermediaries.
‘Our homes are one of the best news that can be,’ Zelenskyy said.
According to him, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has managed to return 4,552 people from captivity, both military and civilians. The Head of State stressed that the work on the release of prisoners continues: ‘We have to return everyone.’
According to the Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Special Transport Service and border guards have returned home.
They were defending Mariupol and other areas in Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia and Luhansk regions.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, most of those who have been returned are young people born after 2000. Today, a female servicewoman who has been in captivity since May 2022 will see her family.
The exchange includes 268 privates and non-commissioned officers, and nine officers have also been returned.
The current exchange is the fourth this year and the 63rd since the start of the full-scale invasion.
This year alone, 596 Ukrainians have been returned home from Russian captivity as part of exchanges and 53 defenders have been released outside of exchanges.