Ukraine Returns 197 Defenders from Russian Captivity

Ukraine has returned 197 of its defenders from captivity - 175 of them returned home as part of an exchange with the Russian side, and another 22 defenders were released as part of measures outside the exchange. This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on social media.

‘Today is another day when Ukraine brings its people back... Among them are severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for fabricated crimes... This is one of the largest POW exchanges,’ he wrote.

According to Zelenskyy, the soldiers, sergeants and officers who defended Ukraine in different areas - in Mariupol, at Azovstal, in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Kursk regions - are returning home.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, three of the released prisoners were under so-called ‘investigation’, which can be considered additional torture for both Ukrainian servicemen and their families.

Among those rescued from Russian captivity this time were 166 privates and sergeants and nine officers.

Outside of the exchange, 22 seriously wounded soldiers were also returned. Those returned from captivity have health problems, severe injuries and traumas.

As The Gaze reported, on 5 February, Ukraine returned 150 of its soldiers from Russian captivity. All the soldiers were from different frontline areas. Some of them had been in captivity for more than two years.