New prisoner swap with Russia brings home 186 Ukrainians – photos

Ukraine has secured the return of 186 of its citizens from Russian captivity in a new prisoner exchange.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Facebook

Quote from Zelenskyy: "Another 185 Ukrainian defenders are returning home today from Russian captivity. One civilian is also returning along with the defenders. They are warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine – privates, sergeants and officers. They defended our state in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv, and Kursk sectors. Among them are those returning after years in Russian captivity, where they had been held since 2022."

Details: The Coordination Headquarters said this is the 75th prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. As a result of the negotiations, 185 Ukrainian service members were released from Russian captivity. In addition, one Ukrainian civilian, who had been held by the Russians since 2022, was also brought back home.

Those released include personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Navy, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defence Forces, Special Operations Forces and the Military Law Enforcement Service, as well as members of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service.

More than half of the released defenders were captured in 2022, with some taken prisoner during the defence of Mariupol.

Among those freed is a participant in the unique helicopter operation that established an air bridge to the Azovstal steel plant.

The youngest person released is 26 years old, while the oldest is 62. Two officers are among the defenders released on 5 June.

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