Footage emerges of 205 Ukrainians returning from Russian captivity – photos, videos
The first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on Family Day, with 205 Ukrainian defenders brought back home. Work by the negotiating group is ongoing.
Source: Major Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda; videos from the social media of the Ukrainian president, the Ministry of Defence, the Coordination Headquarters, the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service
Quote from Yusov: "Today marked the first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 swap agreed by the United States. It is an extremely important stage, involving complex categories – more than 50 officers, most of whom have been in captivity since 2022. They represent different branches, services, and units: defenders of Mariupol, defenders of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, the Territorial Defence Forces, the National Guard and the Air Assault Forces.
Today, indeed, families and relatives of prisoners from various units and formations have received good news, but the negotiating group continues its work in order to move as quickly as possible to the next stages of implementing the prior agreements – both within the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange framework and others."
Details: Ukrainska Pravda has compiled videos from various agencies showing moving moments of Ukrainian soldiers released after years of Russian captivity.
Video: Coordination Headquarters
The Security Service of Ukraine released exclusive photos and videos from the prisoner exchange on 15 May. One of the soldiers is celebrating his birthday on the day of the exchange, and the State Border Guard Service showed how he was greeted on his native soil.
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