Prisoner of War Exchange – Second in Two Days (Video)

On Friday and Saturday, September 13 and 14, Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners of war.

On Saturday, September 14, Moscow and Kyiv held the second exchange of prisoners of war after Friday according to the formula “103 for 103”. On the Russian side, most of those released were conscripts captured in the Kursk region. As part of the exchange, Ukraine returned home, among others, servicemen who took part in the defense of Mariupol.

In Kyiv they reported that among liberated (video) Ukrainians – defenders of “Azovstal” and two guards of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, captured at the very beginning of the war and remained under Russian control for just over a month. The Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for Prisoners of War expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for assistance in organizing the latest exchange.

According to the president Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, among those released from captivity are 82 privates and sergeants, 21 officers:

“Defenders of the Kyiv region, Donetsk region, Mariupol and “Azovstal”, Luhansk region, Zaporizhia, Kharkiv region. Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, border guards, police. Thanks to our team, which deals with exchanges, for such good news for Ukraine.”

The Coordination Headquarters specifies that among those released this time are 38 National Guardsmen. The Armed Forces of Ukraine managed to return 28 soldiers: among them, two from the Kraken special forces unit, two from the International Legion, three from the Special Operations Forces, and one from the Territorial Defense Forces. Eight border guards, four police officers, twenty-one naval sailors, three representatives of the State Special Transport Service, and one from the State Emergency Service of Ukraine returned home.

The released servicemen participated in the defense of the city of Mariupol from the Russian occupiers – 69 people (including defenders of “Azovstal” – 31 people), Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Kharkov and Kyiv directions. Among them are also two guards of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. The coordination headquarters noted:

“Most of them were seriously injured or wounded, have serious illnesses, and need immediate medical care. Ukraine has been working for a long time to organize the return of these fellow citizens. Ukraine expresses gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for its assistance in organizing the next exchange.”

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 103 servicemen captured during the Ukrainian Armed Forces offensive in the Kursk region will return home; all released servicemen are currently in Belarus.

Both sides claim that most of the soldiers included in the exchange list were wounded and injured and need medical care and rehabilitation.

During the prisoner exchange that took place on Saturday, September 14, the Ukrainian side tried to free and return home precisely those soldiers who were seriously wounded and seriously ill. This was reported by the spokesman for the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Petro Yatsenko:

“Quite a few of our 103 citizens, defenders, need medical care. These are really quite serious diagnoses that require quite a long treatment. There are people who have lost their hearing, and people who cannot speak, unfortunately. And these are not only the consequences of the injuries they received, but also the consequences of inhumane treatment in captivity.”

On Friday, Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange in the “49 for 49” format. Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 57 exchanges have been conducted. Humanitarian issues are among the few notes Euronews, which reported that Moscow and Kyiv maintain contacts.

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