Photo: t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official
Among those freed are soldiers who were captured as early as 2022, including defenders of Mariupol. On March 6, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the return of 300 Ukrainian servicemen and two civilians from Russian captivity.
“Privates, sergeants, officers. They defended Ukraine on various fronts: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Mariupol. Most were held in captivity for over a year, some since 2022,” Zelensky wrote.
The released personnel include members of the Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Navy, Territorial Defense Forces, Air Forces, Drone Forces, as well as fighters from the National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and State Special Transport Service.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Affairs, the group includes officers alongside enlisted soldiers and sergeants. The youngest returnee is 26 years old, the oldest is 60. They served on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson fronts and participated in the defense of Mariupol.
Zelensky thanked the United States and the United Arab Emirates for mediating and facilitating the exchange, as well as the entire team that worked to achieve this result.
