Ukraine welcomes back 95 freed POWs in latest prisoner exchange
- I have abdominal problems, they kicked me in the ribs, I can't breathe properly, - says a Ukrainian soldier who returned from Russian captivity. "Another 95 defenders have been released from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky wrote earlier. Recordings of the first moments of young Ukrainians returning to their homeland have emerged online.
17 July 2024 20:49
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Wednesday that ninety-five prisoners of war have returned to the country from Russian captivity. "No matter how difficult it is, we are looking for everyone who may be in captivity. We have to bring everyone back," Zelensky stated.
First phone call home
- I have abdominal problems, they kicked me in the ribs, I can't breathe properly - said the Ukrainian soldier, talking on the phone with his family just after returning to the country.
He said he was near the city of Sumy but didn't know where he would go next.
It was the first time he could hear his loved ones in a long while. The recordings of the soldiers' return to Ukrainian territory were published on X by Anton Herashchenko, former advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine.
Ukrainian prisoners already in the country
Among the freed are 49 soldiers of the Armed Forces, 21 National Guard soldiers, ten sailors, seven soldiers of the Territorial Defence Forces, five border guards, two State Special Transport Service officers, and one defender from a voluntary territorial community unit. All freed this time were men: 88 privates, sergeants, and seven officers.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defence reported that 95 Ukrainian prisoners were exchanged for the same number of Russian prisoners.
It was the 54th exchange of prisoners since the start of the full-scale invasion. In total, Ukraine has recovered 3,405 people from captivity.
