Kyrylo Budanov turns return of prisoners into personal humanitarian mission: over 500 Ukrainians returned home in two days

The dynamics of the return of prisoners of war is growing in Ukraine.

Over the past two days alone, over half a thousand Ukrainians have returned to their homeland: the day before yesterday – 200 defenders, and the very next day another 302 Ukrainians set foot on their native land for the first time in a long time.

Experts attribute such an intensity of exchanges to the new work model introduced by the head of the President's Office Kyrylo Budanov. Even at the beginning of a full-scale war, under his leadership, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War began organizing exchanges, although according to classic international practices, such processes mostly take place only after the end of hostilities.

However, the Ukrainian side has actually broken this outdated military tradition. The return of prisoners of war has become one of the key humanitarian priorities of the state, and for Budanov himself – a personal mission.

Thanks to this approach, Ukrainian soldiers who were captured by russia get a chance to return home during the active phase of the war, rather than waiting for its end.

Political observers note that after the appointment of Kyrylo Budanov as head of the President's Office and his active participation in the international negotiation process, the dynamics of the return of prisoners has only increased. Since the beginning of the year, Ukraine has already conducted three major exchanges, which allowed hundreds of our citizens to return.

"We see the result that our team is achieving. After all, this was the case after the negotiations in Abu Dhabi, and we have the same after Geneva. If each round of international meetings is accompanied by the liberation of Ukrainians from the russian hell, this will be a clear and important result of any negotiations," noted political expert Oleksii Holobutskyi.

Thus, Ukraine managed not only to intensify the process of returning prisoners, but also to demonstrate a new approach to humanitarian diplomacy - when the fight for every Ukrainian becomes a priority even during war.

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