Ukraine and Russia have begun the largest prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale war, which will last several days. About this reported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
According to him, the first part of the agreement on the “1000 by 1000” format has already been implemented. On April 23, 390 Ukrainians returned home.
“This agreement was reached at the meeting in Turkey, and it is important to fully implement it.” – emphasized Zelensky.
The head of state explained that the exchange will continue throughout the weekend – on Saturday and Sunday.
“Thank you to everyone who helps, who works 24/7 so that Ukrainian men and women return home. It is very important to return everyone who is in captivity. We are checking every last name, information on every person. We will continue our diplomatic work so that such steps become possible.”, the president added.
Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets emphasized, that the exchange was the result of the coordinated work of state structures that are part of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
“I emphasize that the staff of the Office of the Ombudsman were at the place of the exchange in order to control the observance of human rights in accordance with the norms of international humanitarian law, in particular the Geneva Conventions”, – said the ombudsman.
In turn, the Minister of Defense Rustem Umyerov notedthat all those responsible for the preparation for the exchange acted in a coordinated manner, as a single team, to ensure the return of Ukrainian citizens home as soon as possible.
“Military and civilians. Men and women. Each of them is ours. The lists were formed according to the only criterion – to preserve life. Within the framework of the Istanbul agreements, we expect new exchanges that will last several days.”, – noted Umyerov.
For information Coordination headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war, 270 military and 120 civilians returned from Russian captivity. Among those released are servicemen of the Armed Forces, in particular the Naval Forces, Airborne Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as soldiers of the National Guard and the State Border Service. Three women and 387 men are among those who returned this time.
“The released defenders defended our land in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson areas, and also took part in battles in the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kyiv regions. Those released from Russian captivity will undergo a medical examination, receive help with physical and psychological rehabilitation, all appropriate payments for the entire time in captivity and reintegrate into society.”, – reported in the official summary of the Coordinating Staff.
