75 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity
- 31 May, 10:38
Ukraine has returned 75 soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated on Friday.
Among the released hostages are soldiers of the Armed Forces, National Guard, as well as border guards and four civilians, Zelenskiy said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"We are returning home 75 of our people who were captured by the Russians. These are privates, sergeants and officers with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Nineteen people were captured from Snake Island, 10 defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, Ukrainian military who were captured in different areas," the post reads.
"Throughout all of this time, we have not stopped working for a single day to bring everyone home from Russian captivity," Zelensky added.
Some 19 of the released hostages were captured on Snake Island, 10 were defenders of embattled Mariupol and Azovstal steelworks, the head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, reported via Telegram.
The return of hostages was facilitated mainly by the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Andriy Yusov, a representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), told local media.
“Ukraine is actively working to garner international support for the return of our defenders and appreciates the assistance provided in this context,” Yusov said, adding that “we are very grateful for the active mediation role played by the UAE.”
Russian Defence Ministry confirmed the prisoner swap, saying that 75 of Russian servicemen were returned as a result of the exchange.
Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, there have been several exchanges of prisoners of war. In the lasts of these prisoners exchanges on February 8, Ukraine and Russia swapped 100 prisoners of war.
