Today, Ukrainian civilians and military personnel who were captured in the temporarily occupied territories even before the full-scale invasion were released – in different years, starting from 2014, Ukrainians of various ages were illegally sentenced to long prison terms. This is reported by UNN with reference to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHTPW).
The 67th prisoner exchange took place. .. The peculiarity of today's exchange is that it was possible to free Ukrainian civilians and military personnel who were detained in the temporarily occupied territories even before the full-scale invasion and illegally sentenced to long prison terms - from 10 to 18 years.
In particular, it is stated that one of those released spent 4013 days in captivity - he was enslaved in Donetsk region back in 2014, the Coordination Headquarters informs.
Among the civilians released today is a 27-year-old man whom the occupiers illegally deprived of liberty in 2016, at the age of 18.
Ukrainians captured and sentenced by the occupiers from 2016 to 2021 are also returning to their native land.
Among those released are three women from Donetsk and Luhansk regions. One of them is an elementary school teacher, deprived of liberty in 2019.
Defenders from the Mariupol garrison, servicemen of the Naval Forces and the State Border Guard Service are also returning.
10 officers were released from captivity. Two pairs of native brothers, who had been held in captivity since March and April 2022, are returning from Russian captivity.
It is noted that most of the released civilians and military personnel have health problems and disabilities.
- the youngest of those released is 26 years old;
- the oldest is 74 years old. He has been in a Russian prison since 2018, i.e., for the last 7 years.
Recall
Representatives of Russia and Ukraine held another round of prisoner exchange.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a new exchange - 84 people were returned - both military and civilians, including those held by Russians since 2014, 2016, and 2017.