President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a successful exchange of prisoners, as a result of which 95 Ukrainian soldiers were returned from Russian captivity. This is the 58th exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which became an important step in the process of repatriation of our defenders.
95 of our people are back at home. Soldiers who defended Mariupol and Azovstal, Donetsk region, Luhansk region, Kharkiv region, Kyiv region, Chernihiv region, Kherson region... Thank you to the team that is engaged in the search and release of prisoners. We are doing everything to extract all our people who are being held by Russia. Thanks to the soldiers who replenish the exchange fund and to all partners who help
Also, the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that 95 defenders of Ukraine returned home as part of the 58th exchange of prisoners of war.
The peculiarity of this exchange is that many Ukrainians are returning home who received so-called verdicts from the judicial system of the aggressor country and were "sentenced": 28 - to long terms, and 20 - to life imprisonment for protecting their own land from the aggressor.
Among those released from captivity today are national guardsmen, military sailors, soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, border guards and representatives of other units of the Security and Defense Forces.
These are soldiers who defended Mariupol, Donetsk region, Luhansk region, Kyiv region, Kharkiv region, Chernihiv region, Kherson region. Among those released are 69 soldiers and sergeants and 26 officers,
Many of those released from captivity have serious illnesses and the effects of severe injuries, as well as severe weight loss due to torture and malnutrition.
In total, 3,767 people have already been freed from captivity.
In the evening of October 18, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the exchange of 95 for 95 prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia. Mediation efforts in the exchange process were provided by the United Arab Emirates.
