Ukraine returns 90 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) from Russian captivity on 25 June.
In March, the UN released a report that documented systematic and widespread torture of Ukrainian POWs by Russian forces, describing the abuse as severe and organized, not isolated or random, with 90% of returning Ukrainian POWs reporting that they experienced physical and psychological torture during captivity.
The group of freed defenders includes 32 National Guardsmen, 18 border guards, 17 members of the Naval Forces, 15 soldiers of the Armed Forces, and 8 members of the Territorial Defense Forces, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Among those released are 59 defenders of Mariupol, with 52 fighters who were part of the “Azovstal” resistance. Five National Guardsmen guarding the Chornobyl nuclear power plant also returned to Ukraine.
Russian invaders captured them in various oblasts of ongoing fighting, including Kherson, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk.
Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanked all the partners who provided assistance with this exchange operation, particularly the United Arab Emirates, for their role in facilitating the release of these Ukrainian POWs.
“We remember all our people in Russian captivity. We continue to work for the liberation of each and every one. We are looking for the truth about everyone who can be held by the enemy,” Zelenskyy said.
This exchange was 90-for-90, meaning that 90 Russian servicemen captured by Ukraine returned to Russia.
Related:
- Up to 90% of Ukrainian POWs suffered torture, Attorney General says
- UN report: Russian torture of Ukrainian POWs “widespread and systematic”
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- Ukrainian ombudsman urges Moscow to prosecute military for war crimes after execution threats to Ukrainian POWs90 more Ukrainian prisoners of war return from Russian captivity