Authorities Russia D Ukraine reported this Wednesday the largest prisoner of war exchange since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, which resulted in the release of 144 soldiers on each side.
As specified in a statement by the Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, the Russian side released 95 “defenders of Azovstal, a metallurgical plant located in the city of Mariupol, 43 of whom are members of the Azov Battalion, a unit with known neo-Nazi ties.
In particular, out of the total number of Ukrainian servicemen who returned to Kyiv, 59 are National Guard soldiers; 30 Ukrainian Navy; 28 from the APU; 17 from the State Border Service; nine are from the Territorial Defense and one is a member of the National Police.
exchange of prisoners
Similarly, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), Denis Pushilin, confirmed in a statement on his Telegram channel that in exchange, Ukraine released 144 soldiers from both the Donetsk and Russian militia.
Pushilin specified that “most” of the Ukrainian military who returned to Kyiv “are injured and need urgent qualified medical care,” information confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities.
In addition, Pushilin emphasized that his main goal is to “rescue the militants who participated in the special operation,” a euphemism that Russia uses to describe the invasion of a neighboring country.
A day earlier, the Ukrainian Intelligence Directorate also said in a statement that 16 military personnel had “returned home from captivity,” including two officers and 14 soldiers. In addition, a civilian was also released.
On May 20, Russia announced the final capture of the Azovstal plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in the besieged city of Mariupol, located on the shores of the Sea of Azov, in an attempt to close access to the Ukrainian Sea and unite the Donbass with the Crimean peninsula, both under the auspices of the Kremlin.
(As reported by Europe Press)
Source: RPP
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