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Ukraine Brings Home 197 Defenders in Major Prisoner Exchange With Russia
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![Amira_barkhush]( "Amira Barkhush")
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Ukraine managed to secure the return of 175 of its defenders home from Russian captivity.
Additionally, 22 defenders were returned home “through measures beyond exchanges,” according to Zelenskyy. Among them are those seriously wounded and soldiers who were persecuted by Russia for fabricated crimes. Immediate medical and psychological support will be provided to all of them.
“This is one of the largest POW exchanges. Returning home are our soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors who fought for our freedom in the ranks of the Armed Forces, Navy, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces, and Border Guard Service.,” Zelenskyy wrote.
“They defended Ukraine across various fronts – in Mariupol, at Azovstal, in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, as well as Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kursk regions.”
Zelenskyy thanked his team for facilitating exchanges and expressed his gratefulness to all of Ukraine’s partners, especially the United Arab Emirates, for making today’s exchange possible.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, three of the released POWs were under so-called “investigation,” which can be considered additional torture not only for the Ukrainian servicemen but also for their families and loved ones.
Among the returned is 149 soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, 4 from the Territorial Defense, 11 from the Navy, 8 National Guard soldiers (including three from the Azov brigade), and 3 border guards.
The freed soldiers include 31 defenders of Mariupol (including 18 defenders of Azovstal), 74 of the Donetsk region, 39 of the Luhansk region, 8 of the Kharkiv region, 5 of the Kherson region and two soldiers from each of.Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy regions, as well as fighters who participated in the battles in the Kursk region.
During US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s phone conversation on March 18, Moscow stated that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine would take place on March 19, with 175 prisoners from each side being exchanged.
On February 5, Ukraine secured the return of 150 of its citizens held in Russian captivity. The group includes soldiers, sergeants, and officers from various branches of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as members of the National Guard, border guards, territorial defense units, and one police officer.
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