Ukraine returns 175 defenders from captivity. Another 22 fighters also released separately
Ukraine and Russia held another exchange of prisoners of war in a 175-for-175 format, as announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
This is one of the largest exchanges. Among the returnees are soldiers from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Navy, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces, and Border Guard Service.
They served in Mariupol, at Azovstal, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson oblasts, as well as in the Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kursk oblasts.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, among those rescued from Russian captivity this time were 166 privates and sergeants and nine officers. The exchange took place with the assistance of the United Arab Emirates.
Ukraine also returned its 22 seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers and those fighters who were illegally convicted in the Russian Federation for trumped-up crimes, outside of an exchange.
All those returning home will be immediately provided with the necessary medical and psychological assistance.
The prisoner exchange was announced by Russian leader Vladimir Putin in a conversation with US President Donald Trump on March 18. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed this, saying it was premeditated.