“Today, our people are returning home. The warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Service and the civilian. Most of them have been captured since 2022. We returned home the journalist Dmitry Hilyuk, who was stolen in the Kiev region in March 2022. Finally he is at home, in Ukraine,” the head of state wrote.
Zelensky added that the exchange of prisoners from the Russian Federation continues, including thanks to Ukrainian soldiers who replenish the exchange fund for Ukraine.
This is already the 68th exchange of prisoners with the Russian Federation, noted in the coordination headquarters on the issues of prisoners of war on Facebook.
They said that among the liberated warriors are representatives of the landing, air, naval forces, TRO warriors, the National Guard and the State Border Service, as well as eight civilians.
“All the liberated defenders belong to the ordinary and sergeants. Almost all of them have been held captive for more than three years,” it was said.
In addition to Hilyuk, another Ukrainian journalist, Mark Kaliush, was returned from Russian captivity, added in the center.
“They were illegally detained by the invaders in 2022 and 2023. Among the liberated civilian, there is also a physician Sergey Kovalev from the hospital“ Hospitallers ”, who saved the life of defenders and civilians during the siege at the Azovstal factory. The former mayor of Kherson Vladimir Mikolaenko, who did not work with the invaders,” the statement said.
Each of them will undergo a medical examination and treatment, the released will also receive payments provided for by the state, rehabilitation will undergo after a long isolation in Russian captivity.
The Ministry of Defense of the aggressor was reported in Telegram that the exchange of prisoners of war with Ukraine was held in format 146 by 146. In addition, eight civilians-residents of the Kursk region were returned to the Russian Federation.
