The crew members of the Avangard dry cargo ship, which arrived in Ukrainian Izmail from Greece for repairs on December 1, 2021, were released during the exchange between Russia and Ukraine.
This was stated by the Ombudsman of the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova and announced by the Russian media. Vice Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk also announced yesterday that a prisoner exchange resulted in the return of 41 Ukrainians:
Today, another exchange of prisoners took place, during which 41 prisoners were returned, including 11 women. 28 military and 13 civilians are returning home. Among those released there is the rector of the OCU temple.
Presumably, Moskalkova also reports the same exchange. how declares Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation, another 60 sailors from seven Russian ships are in Ukraine:
“Since the beginning of the operation to liberate the DPR and LPR, the ship and Russian sailors, contrary to national laws, international norms and principles, have been blocked by port security and Ukrainian border guards, and are deprived of the opportunity to return to their homeland. For 72 days, the Avangard crew was in almost complete isolation from the outside world, the sailors were forbidden to communicate with relatives, they could not leave the ship, they were left without a livelihood, all this time they were without medicines and medical care.
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