193 soldiers returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity

On behalf of the President, the Coordination Headquarters conducted another exchange of prisoners, returning 193 Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.

According to the press service of the coordination headquarters, this exchange was a continuation of the Easter exchange and the implementation of the relevant agreements.

The peculiarity of the current exchange is that it was possible to return from captivity boys born in 2000, as well as defenders with injuries. Most of those released were illegally detained on the territory of Chechnya. Criminal cases were fabricated against some of them, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Among the released soldiers are representatives of the Armed Forces, including a significant number of paratroopers. Soldiers from the Navy, the Army, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service are also returning home. In addition to soldiers and sergeants, several officers were released.

The released soldiers defended the country in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Kursk sectors. The youngest defender was 24 years old. He was captured in the Donetsk sector in 2023. The oldest liberated defender is 60 years old. Today, the two soldiers will celebrate their birthdays on their native land.

On April 11, Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange that resulted in the return of 182 Ukrainians, including 175 military and seven civilians. Among them were 25 officers whom Russia had previously categorically refused to exchange. More than half of the liberated defenders were captured during the defense of Mariupol. Several members of the National Guard, who were captured during the occupation of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the first days of the full-scale invasion, also returned home. The youngest released was 22 years old, the oldest was 63 years old.

Кирило Бойко