Ukraine secures freedom for 175 PoWs in significant exchange
"One hundred seventy-five of our defenders have been freed from Russian captivity. Another 22 defenders are returning home thanks to measures beyond exchange. Among them are severely wounded warriors and those whom Russia persecuted for fabricated crimes," Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday.
"All of them will immediately receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance," the Ukrainian president conveyed on social media.
"This is one of the largest prisoner exchanges. Coming home are our soldiers, sergeants, and officers – warriors who fought for our freedom in the ranks of the Armed Forces, Navy, National Guard, Territorial Defence Forces, and Border Guard. They defended Ukraine on various fronts – in Mariupol, Azovstal, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, as well as in Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and the Kursk region," he emphasised.
"I thank our team working on prisoner searches and exchanges for their efforts and results that give hope. We are also grateful to all our partners, especially the United Arab Emirates, for facilitating today’s exchange," Zelensky noted.
He emphasized that Ukraine honours each of its heroes and remains committed to bringing all its people home.
Trump on the prisoner exchange
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump announced that a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine was set to occur following discussions with Vladimir Putin. The exchange had already been confirmed earlier.
The previous prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine occurred in February. It involved 150 people from each side.
According to data from the Coordination Headquarters for POWs in Kyiv, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, Ukraine has conducted 61 prisoner exchanges, thanks to which 4,131 citizens have returned to their homeland. Additionally, over 7,000 bodies of fallen military personnel have been recovered. These figures do not include Wednesday's exchange.
