Eight officers and 98 enlisted and non-commissioned servicemen returned home. In particular, 21 representatives of the terrorist defense returned. There are now also seven border guards and one soldier of the State Special Transport Service at home.
“They fought for Bakhmut and accomplished a feat that did not allow the enemy to advance further deep into our East. Each of them is a hero of our state,” Yermak wrote.
Among those who returned from captivity, 68 were considered missing. The relatives of these people went through a difficult stage.
At least seven rescued fighters have various injuries: ball and shrapnel wounds, burns and fractures, exacerbated chronic diseases. The oldest of the released soldiers is already 59 years old, the youngest is 21 years old.
In addition, three bodies were repatriated: two foreigners and a Ukrainian.
Yermak added that Ukraine continues to work on the speedy return of all prisoners of war.
“All our people will be at home. We are working on this further. And each exchange takes us one step closer to this goal,” he wrote.
In total, 2,430 people have already returned home as a result of exchanges. Among them, 139 civilians.
Exchange of prisoners with Russia
The only talks that Ukraine has with Russia are about the exchange of prisoners.
In April, the head of the GUR, Kirill Budanov, said that the parties were discussing the possibility of exchanging prisoners “all for all”, and were already approaching a positive result.
Meanwhile, the Coordinating Headquarters believes that the possibility of exchanging “all for all” has increased significantly compared to what it was three months ago.
It should be noted that the last exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and the Russian Federation took place on May 6, when 45 fighters of the Azov regiment returned home.
Read urgent and important messages about Russia’s war against Ukraine on the channel RBC-Ukraine on Telegram.
2023-05-25 12:50:09
#Warriors #Bakhmut #Ukraine #returned #defenders #Russian #captivity
