Ukraine returns 95 prisoners of war from Russian captivity

Ukraine's Presidential Office head Andrii Yermak reported on June 11 that 95 Ukrainian prisoners of war had returned home from Russian captivity as part of another prisoner exchange.

According to Yermak, among the POWs are servicemen of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, as well as border guards. Many of them were wounded in captivity.

“Prisoners from Mariupol, Chornobyl, Zmiiny  (Snake) Island, from Bakhmut, as well as Azovstal defenders are going back to their families,” Yermak said.

The POWs include 93 rank-and-file soldiers and sergeants, as well as two officers.

The last exchange of prisoners took place on May 25, when 106 defenders were returned to Ukraine.

“All our people will be returned home. Working on it further,” said Yermak.

As of May 16, the country has managed to return 500 Ukrainian service members, a fifth of the total number of POWs currently held in Russian captivity, according to Nataliia Zarytska, head of the Council of Wives and Mothers of Ukraine's Defenders, a non-government organization.

"Despite all efforts, in 12 months only 20% of the defenders who were at risk of death until they were ordered by the command to lay down their arms and save their lives were returned,” Zarytska said.

What it’s like to know your loved ones are in Russian captivity

On the evening of Feb. 24, Nataliia Sivak received a terrifying message from her younger brother, Ukrainian soldier Yakiv Nehrii. “Tell everyone I love them very much,” the message read. “We are under heavy attack.” It was the last time she heard from him. When Russia launched its full-scale war

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko