Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, reported that 160 servicemen returned to Ukraine during the prisoner exchange on June 26, of whom about 99% had been taken prisoner in 2022.
He announced this on Facebook.
Thus, 160 Ukrainians were freed from russian captivity. Lubinets noted that they were servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Territorial Defense Forces, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard, the State Security Service, and the Ukrainian Military Academy. In addition, among those released were fighters from the “Azov” battalion, including officers.
“What makes this return unique is that nearly 99% of those released were taken prisoner in 2022. They endured the most extreme conditions of captivity for over four years!” the post reads.
The Ombudsman noted that the released defenders were members of the motorized infantry, assault, airborne, airmobile, rifle, artillery, and aviation forces, as well as the Marine Corps. Many of those returned are senior officers, including 58 officers.
“There are also seven defenders at home who will celebrate their birthdays in June, and two of them celebrated their birthdays just two days ago! The oldest among those returned is 66 years old, and the youngest is 26. One more small detail: there are 21 people on the list with the same last names. That means there are two or three people with the same surname,” Lubinets said.
As a reminder, according to a statement from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the released soldiers include, in particular, 115 defenders of Mariupol. The Coordination Headquarters expressed gratitude to the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates for their mediation and assistance in organizing the exchange.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, the 75th prisoner exchange took place on June 5: 186 Ukrainians returned home.
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