193 soldiers returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity

On behalf of the President, the Coordination Headquarters carried out another prisoner exchange, bringing home 193 Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.

According to the press office of the Coordination Headquarters, this exchange was a continuation of the Easter exchange and the implementation of the relevant agreements.

What sets this exchange apart is that it made it possible to free young men born in 2000, as well as defenders with injuries. Most of those released had been illegally detained in Chechnya. Criminal cases were fabricated against some of them, which constitutes a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

Among the released soldiers are members 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 freed soldier is 60 years old. Today, the two soldiers will celebrate their birthdays on their home soil.

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

Кирило Бойко