Exchange of prisoners 100 X 100: among the returning Ukrainians – 82 defenders "Azovstal" in Mariupol

On February 8, an exchange of prisoners took place. Among the returning Ukrainian military personnel there are soldiers of the National Guard of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and border guards. The majority are defenders of Mariupol.

Many spent almost two years in captivity, said Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky, who quotes edition “Correspondent”:

“Another 100 Ukrainians are at home, in Ukraine. The National Guard, border guards, the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The majority are defenders of Mariupol. All are ours, all are back on their native land. We are working on each and every one, and we will not stop until we return everyone!”

The Coordination Headquarters for working with prisoners of war reports that among those rescued from Russian captivity are 49 soldiers of the National Guard, 25 border guards, 26 military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including 11 terrorist fighters. All those released were privates and sergeants. 84 returned prisoners defended Mariupol (including 82 defenders of Azovstal), the rest carried out combat missions in the Donetsk and Lugansk directions. Twenty-eight of those released were injured or seriously ill. The oldest was 62 years old, the youngest was 20 years old.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says this is the 51st exchange. Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, 3,135 people have been freed. The United Arab Emirates participated in organizing this exchange.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that on February 8, during the prisoner exchange, Ukraine transferred 100 Russian military personnel. The agency reported: “When Russian military personnel returned from captivity, the United Arab Emirates provided humanitarian mediation.”

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