First stage of big prisoner swap with Russia: 205 Ukrainians brought back home – photos
Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange on Friday 15 May, during which 205 Ukrainian citizens were brought back home.
Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Quote: "205 Ukrainians are home. Today, warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning from Russian captivity. This is the first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange.
Among those released are privates, sergeants, and officers. Most of them had been in Russian captivity since 2022. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv fronts, and at the Chornobyl NPP [Nuclear Power Plant – ed.]."
Details: The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War stated that almost all of the servicemembers released on Friday had spent four years in captivity. Most of them were captured during the defence of Mariupol. The length of time spent in captivity was the key principle behind compiling the lists for the 1,000-for-1,000 exchanges, the statement said.
In addition to soldiers and sergeants, more than 50 officers were also brought home.
Among those released was a National Guard serviceman captured at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
The youngest defender released is 21 years old, while the oldest is 62.
The freed defenders will be taken to medical centres to undergo all the necessary examinations, further treatment and medical rehabilitation. They will be provided with the assistance they need, documents and the financial payments due to them.
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