On 17 July, 95 Ukrainian servicemen returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity, according to The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The United Nation report and other human rights organizations documented that Ukrainian prisoners of war experience systematic torture, beatings, starvation, and sexual violence in Russian captivity.
The released Ukrainians include 49 soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 21 National Guardsmen, 10 military sailors, seven territorial defense members, five border guards, two from the State Special Transport Service, and one defender from a voluntary territorial community formation.
Among the returned, 23 people defended Mariupol (13 defenders of Azovstal), 41 fought in the Donetsk direction, nine in Luhansk and nine in Zaporizhzhia, three in Kherson and three in Kharkiv, according to The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
One man volunteered for the “air bridge” mission to Azovstal in 2022, in which Ukrainians flew on a helicopter to Mariupol to help the units blocked at Azovstal.
The exchange also included a sailor who had been captured while providing humanitarian aid in his village in Kyiv Oblast during its occupation in 2022.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked the United Arab Emirates for acting as amediator in the exchange.
“No matter how difficult it may be, we are looking for everyone who may be in captivity. We have to return everyone,” Zelenskyy wrote.
The Coordination Headquarters notes that many of the returning soldiers are dealing with injuries and chronic illnesses requiring long-term treatment. Most had been in captivity since 2022, and one individual had previously been listed as missing.
Ukrainian Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets wrote that the returned soldiers will receive food and clean clothes. They will be examines by doctors to prescribe all necessary treatment and rehabilitation.
This exchange was already the 54th since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. In total, 3,405 people have already been returned from Russian captivity, The Coordination Headquarters reports.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced that 95 of its servicemen were returned to Russia during the exchange on 17 July.
The Ukrainian Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) confirmed 22 deaths of Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in Russian captivity, while relatives of POWs estimate up to 160.
Ukrainian POWs receive minimal food and water, face lack of medical care and continuous torture, often leading to fatalities.
Related:
- “Welcome to hell”: UN report exposes Russia’s systematic torture, killings, and crimes against humanity in Ukraine
- “One cup of water per day for 8 people”: Deaths of Ukrainian POWs in Russian captivity rise, human rights group says
- Ukraine returns 90 more prisoners of war from Russian captivity, including defenders of Mariupol
- Ukraine says women in Russian captivity subjected to physical and psychological abuse