Ukraine returns 71 military, 4 civilians from Russian captivity

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reports.

"All this time, we have not stopped working for a day to bring home each and every one of the Russian captives. And today we have an important result," the president said in a statement.

It is noted that 71 military and 4 civilians are currently on their native land.

Ukraine's Security Service published an exclusive video of the prisoner exchange.

The head of the President's Office, Andriy Yermak, clarified that the returned Ukrainians include privates, sergeants and officers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service and civilians.

In addition, there are 19 people who were captured on Zmiinyi Island, 10 defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as Ukrainian soldiers who were captured in different areas.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said that the liberated defenders included 70 men and five women, six officers and 65 privates and sergeants.

At least a third of the rescued have been injured, seriously ill or disabled.

"Ukrainians captured in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy sectors are returning home," the headquarters added.

• On February 8, Ukraine returned 100 people from captivity. Most of them are defenders of Mariupol.