“Photo: t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners according to the formula 150 for 150. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Russia on December 30. The agency noted that the exchange of prisoners of war was mediated by the United Arab Emirates. Russian servicemen are on the territory of Belarus. Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that 189 Ukrainian defenders, including two civilians, had been returned home from Russian captivity. […]”, — write: businessua.com.ua
Photo: t.me/dmytro_lubinetzs
Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners according to the formula 150 for 150. This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of Russia on December 30. The agency noted that the exchange of prisoners of war was mediated by the United Arab Emirates. Russian servicemen are on the territory of Belarus.
Later, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that 189 Ukrainian defenders, including two civilians, had been returned home from Russian captivity.
– These are the military – the defenders of “Azovstal” and Mariupol, Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, Zmiynoy Island, from different directions of the front. Among them are soldiers, sergeants, officers. These are National Guardsmen, including “Azovians”, border guards, Teroboronov soldiers, soldiers of the Navy and Armed Forces. And also two civilians who were captured in Mariupol, he wrote.
Zelensky confirmed that the exchange took place with the help of the UAE. The 11th exchange in 2024 made it possible to release 87 servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (17 of them – TrO), 43 – NSU, 33 – DPSU, 24 – Navy, the Coordinating Staff for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported.
– In addition to Mariupol and Snake Island, the freedmen defended Ukraine in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson directions, and the National Guardsmen were on duty to protect the Chernobyl NPP. We also returned those who were captured in Kurshchyna, – the headquarters said.
Many were in Russian captivity for more than two and a half years. The defenders have aggravated chronic diseases, the consequences of mine-explosive injuries, severe injuries. This time, 173 privates and sergeants and 14 officers were dismissed.
This is one of the largest exchanges conducted since the full-scale invasion. The largest homecoming of Ukrainian defenders took place on January 3. Then 230 people were sent home. It is also the 59th exchange since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. In total, 3,956 people have already returned from Russian captivity, 1,358 of them in 2024.
- Before that, the exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia took place on the night of October 19. 95 people returned to Ukraine, including human rights defender Maksym Butkevich.
- On December 20, human rights commissioners of Ukraine and Russia met in Belarus. They exchanged parcels and letters for prisoners of war. The lists of prisoners were also verified during the meeting.
Source: kp.ua