President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine has successfully brought home 49 soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity. This group includes personnel from the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the National Police, and border guards, as reported by The Kyiv Independent.
The release includes 23 women, including civilians whom Russia detained and illegally imprisoned before the full-scale invasion began. Notably, Leniye Umerova, a Crimean Tatar, was among those freed. Russia had apprehended Umerova at the Georgian-Russian border in 2022 while she was traveling to occupied Crimea to care for her cancer-stricken father.
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Military medic Viktor Ivchuk, a Hero of Ukraine and colonel of the Armed Forces who had been held captive since April 2022, was also released. Ivchuk served as the head of a military hospital in Mariupol.
“We must bring home all of our soldiers and civilians,” President Zelensky said, underscoring the importance of the release. He also noted that this exchange includes 15 soldiers from the Azov Brigade, who had defended Mariupol in 2022. The Azov Brigade soldiers, notably including women, were part of the exchange for the first time in a long while.
Zelensky expressed his deep gratitude to the team responsible for securing the release of prisoners and hostages from Russian captivity. He praised Ukrainian units and services involved in capturing Russian occupiers and neutralizing saboteurs, stating, “All our efforts contribute to bringing every single Ukrainian, both military and civilian, back home.”
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry confirmed the release of the 49 individuals through a post on X, stating, “At home. Today, 49 of our people returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, National Police, and civilians are finally back home. Glory to Ukraine!”
The released group includes 13 sailors, eight soldiers, two police officers, and four border guards. This exchange marks the 56th since the onset of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine. Ukraine’s Ombudsman, Dmytro Lubinets, reported that Ukraine has now brought back a total of 3,569 Ukrainians from Russian captivity.
Kyiv continues to aim for an all-for-all prisoner exchange, a key issue discussed at Ukraine’s peace summit in Switzerland in mid-June.
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