Ukraine secures release of 185 soldiers, 20 civilians from Russian captivity

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the information.

This is the 69th exchange between Russia and Ukraine. Among those freed were two officers and 183 privates and sergeants. Returning home are servicemen of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including representatives of the Navy, Ground Forces, Territorial Defense, Air Assault Forces, as well as members of the National Guard and Border Guard Service. Twenty civilians were also rescued.

“Our warriors were in Mariupol, at Azovstal, and at the Chornobyl nuclear plant. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022, and now, at last, they are home. We thank everyone who makes these exchanges possible. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, we have managed to bring back more than 7,000 of our people. We must bring everyone back. We work on this every day,” Zelenskyy wrote.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified that the youngest released defender is 26 years old, and the oldest is 59.

“Those freed from captivity will undergo full medical examinations, receive assistance in physical and psychological rehabilitation, and all state-guaranteed payments. We express our sincere gratitude to all structures and organizations involved for their coordinated efforts aimed at liberating our citizens,” the headquarters emphasized.

The released fighters had defended Ukraine in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions. Among them are also the defenders of Mariupol.

• On August 24, Ukraine carried out its 68th prisoner exchange with the aggressor state. A special feature of that exchange was the inclusion of 8 Ukrainian civilians.

• On October 1, the representative of Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, Andriy Yusov, stated that delays in prisoner exchanges occur due to the actions of the aggressor state.