Ukraine returns 108 women from captivity, most of them military personnel

The head of the Ukraine’s President's Office, Andriy Yermak, announced this on Telegram.

"We freed 108 women from captivity. This was the first all-female exchange. Mothers and daughters were in captivity, they were very much awaited by their relatives. 37 evacuees from Azovstal, 11 officers, 85 - privates and sergeants. 35 of them are defenders of the AFU (ed.- Armed Forces of Ukraine), 32 - Navy servicewomen, 12 - are from Territorial Defense Forces, 8 - from National Guard of Ukraine, including 2 from Azov Battalion, 5 - from the State Special Transport Service, 4 - State Border Guard Service of Ukraine and 12 are civilians," Yermak wrote.

The head of the President's Office noted that the people who had been imprisoned in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas even before the full-scale invasion are among those released.

"There are women among them who were illegally captured and imprisoned in occupied territories even before the large-scale invasion. People have been in captivity in pseudo-republics since 2019 for what they called a pro-Ukrainian position, that was the transportation of humanitarian aid for orphans, fabricated cases of "espionage" and "terrorism". ... Now all the girls will undergo a medical examination, rehabilitation. They will hug their relatives, their children, they will recover," Yermak wrote.

The official also called the exchange a nerve-wracking one.

"It was a very nerve-wracking exchange. There were too many details and moments that could affect the process, change its course. There are always many risks during exchanges that must be calculated from the moment of preparation and during the process itself," Yermak wrote.