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Nearly 10,000 Ukrainians Have Returned From Russian Captivity Since 2022
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A total of 9,716 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022, Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets said on August 19.
The latest prisoner exchange brought home 103 Ukrainian service members, including personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Territorial Defense Forces, Navy, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service.
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“Ukrainian state bodies that are part of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War managed to free 103 defenders from Russian captivity. These are service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Territorial Defense Forces and Navy, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. They defended Ukraine on the Donetsk axis, including in the city of Mariupol, as well as on the Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia axes,” Lubinets said.
According to the ombudsman, soldiers and sergeants accounted for 99% of those released in the latest exchange. The youngest returned service member is 26 years old, while the oldest is 59.
“Two of the defenders celebrated their birthdays yesterday—they turned 34 and 45. Among those returned are also people who are seriously wounded and seriously ill. I welcome the guys home and wish them a speedy rehabilitation,” Lubinets said.
Lubinets and Yurii Kovbasa, his representative for the rights of people deprived of liberty as a result of Russian aggression against Ukraine and those missing under special circumstances, were present at the exchange.
The ombudsman stressed that efforts to return Ukrainians from captivity also involve maintaining close contact with their families, noting that his office had been assisting relatives of several of the service members released in the latest exchange.
“At the same time, I want to emphasize here that I understand well: behind every Ukrainian who is a prisoner or missing, there is a family waiting. In particular, regarding several of the defenders who returned today, we were in contact with their relatives and helped resolve a number of issues. I continue to prioritize this communication and support for families in my work. And we continue to do everything possible to find every missing person and bring every prisoner home,” Lubinets added.
The latest return comes amid continued documentation of deaths and executions of Ukrainians in Russian custody. Russian forces have killed at least 345 Ukrainian service members after they surrendered, while the deaths of another 375 Ukrainian citizens in Russian captivity have been confirmed.
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