Chornobyl NPP defenders return to Ukraine after three years in Russian captivity

The Ministry of Energy’s press service reported this.

The ministry noted that all of them had been held captive by Russia for over three years.

They are seriously ill and wounded soldiers, whose release, the ministry said, was the result of prolonged efforts by Ukrainian specialists and international partners.

The Ministry of Energy called the return of the Chornobyl NPP defenders an extremely important humanitarian event.

“The most valuable thing Ukraine has is its people. Our task is to do everything possible to bring every defender home,” said the ministry head, Svitlana Hrynchuk.

Russian forces captured the Chornobyl NPP on February 24, 2022, and began leaving the exclusion zone on March 31, 2022. The Defense Forces of Ukraine regained full control of the facility on April 3, 2022.

• On July 23, the ninth stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place.