MOSCOW: Russia and Ukraine have announced a prisoner exchange, with each side returning 45 soldiers, according to statements from both countries on Thursday.
Russia’s defence ministry reported that 45 Russian servicemen were released from Ukrainian custody, while Ukraine’s head of presidential staff, Andriy Yermak, confirmed that 45 service personnel and two civilians had been returned to Ukraine.
Yermak shared the news on the Telegram messaging app, noting that some of the released individuals had fought in Mariupol and the Azovstal steel plant in the southern city, while others had served on the frontlines in different locations. He praised all of them as heroes.
Ukraine Says Release Prisoners Need Rehabilitation
Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, revealed that most of the released individuals were “seriously injured” and would require rehabilitation. Additionally, Yermak mentioned that two children, aged six and ten, were allowed to return to Ukraine after their mother, a military medic, was released in October of the previous year.
This exchange marks another instance of prisoner swaps between Russia and Ukraine since the start of the ongoing conflict, which has now entered its 17th month. According to Lubinets, a total of 2,576 Ukrainians have been freed in prisoner exchanges since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
