Five residents of Odesa region were returned during the last prisoner exchange

During the last prisoner exchange with Russia, five Ukrainian defenders from Odesa region, who spent almost four years in Russian captivity, returned home.

Two of them were sentenced to life imprisonment by the pseudo-courts of the aggressor country, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration Oleh Kiper said.

Serhiy Georgiou is a resident of the village of Dolynske. 49 years old. He is the commander of the automotive division of a supply platoon. Before the full-scale invasion, he served under contract. In December 2021, he was seconded to Mariupol, where he was taken prisoner. Since 2022, he was considered missing. His wife and two sons were waiting for him at home.

Vladyslav Obukh - 25 years old from Chornomorsk. Combat medic of the Airborne Division, 25th separate airborne brigade of Sicheslav. He was taken prisoner in March 2022 near Avdiivka, Donetsk region.

Dmytro Shalar, 25 years old. A soldier with the 36th Separate Marine Brigade. He was taken prisoner during the defense of Mariupol. A pseudo-court of the so-called "DPR" sentenced him to life imprisonment on trumped-up charges.

Vasyl Shytrya is 23 years old. He was born in Podilsk. A soldier of the 23rd separate motorized infantry battalion. He was taken prisoner at the age of nineteen during the defense of Mariupol. The aggressor country sentenced him to so-called life imprisonment.

Vladyslav Latii is a National Guard soldier, originally from Shyriayeve. He signed the contract in 2019. At the end of 2021, he arrived in Mariupol with his unit. He was taken prisoner on April 19, 2022, his daughter's birthday.

On February 5, Ukraine and Russia conducted the first prisoner exchange since October. 157 Ukrainians returned home, and a similar number of occupants were sent to Russia. This is the 71st exchange to date. 150 soldiers and seven civilians returned home. 139 of the released Ukrainian citizens had been in Russian captivity since 2022.

Кирило Бойко