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Zelenskyy: Over 6,400 Ukrainians Returned From Russian Captivity Since Full-Scale Invasion
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![Photo of Maryna Kulakova]( "Photo of Maryna Kulakova")
Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, Ukraine has managed to bring home 5,857 people from Russian captivity, with an additional 555 released outside of formal prisoner exchanges.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared these figures following a meeting on July 28 with members of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, agencies involved in prisoner swaps, and recently released Ukrainians.
Among those attending were defenders of Mariupol, service members of the Azov Brigade, paramedic Yuliia Paievska (known as “Taira”), and Crimean Tatar activist Leniie Umerova.
“We discussed what matters most: bringing all our people home and where we currently stand with exchanges. Not a day goes by without efforts. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, we’ve returned 5,857 people alive from captivity. Another 555 have come back outside of official exchanges,” Zelenskyy stated.
He also noted that, under the Istanbul agreements, over 1,000 Ukrainian service members have been repatriated.
Today, July 28, marks Ukraine’s first official nationwide day of remembrance for defenders, members of volunteer formations, and civilians who died, were tortured, or executed in captivity. The date honors the victims of the terrorist attack at the prison in occupied Olenivka, where at least 53 Ukrainian POWs were killed on the night of July 29, 2022.
Previously, Zelenskyy has announced that Ukraine and Russia have agreed on the exchange of 1,200 prisoners of war, calling it a major step forward in ongoing negotiations to bring Ukrainians home from Russian captivity. The President stated this while speaking with journalists on July 24, as reported by the UNITED24 Media correspondent.
