On April 19, Ukraine joyfully welcomed back 277 of its heroes, of which 246 returned as part of a prisoner exchange, and another 31 were freed outside this process.
Source: President Volodymyr Zelensky, Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Direct quote: "Today, we have received 277 warriors returning from Russian captivity.
These are members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Transport Service, and border guards. They fought for Mariupol and defended other crucial areas in Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhia, and Luhansk."
Zelensky expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone involved in organizing this exchange, particularly highlighting the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, 246 soldiers were returned as part of the exchange, while 31 were freed through a separate process.
Among those who returned, the majority are young individuals born after 2000, including a female service member who had been in captivity since May 2022.
Of the released, 268 are privates and sergeants, and 9 officers were also returned.
This exchange marks the fourth in 2023 and the 63rd since the full-scale invasion began.
So far this year, 596 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity through exchanges, and 53 defenders were liberated outside of these exchanges.
Since March 2022, the Coordination Headquarters has secured the release of 4552 Ukrainian citizens through negotiation processes and exchanges, with an additional 529 individuals freed from Russian captivity outside of exchanges.
