Ukraine returns 52 prisoners of war from Russian captivity

Ukraine returned 52 prisoners of war from Russian captivity on Oct. 29, according to President's Office Head Andriy Yermak. (Photo: Andriy Yermak)

President’s Office Head Andriy Yermak said on Oct. 29 that Russia had released 52 Ukrainian prisoners of war under the prisoner exchange.

According to Yermak, two civilians were among the freed prisoners that include medics, officers, and other military personnel. Among the released are the defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol and those who were captured at the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone in Kyiv Oblast.

"We do not stop and continue to fulfill the president's task to 'bring back all Ukrainians home,'" Yermak wrote on Telegram.

Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar said on Oct. 27 that Ukraine had conducted 28 prisoner swaps with Russia since Feb. 24, returning home 978 Ukrainians, including 99 civilians.

The largest exchange took place on Sept. 21, when 215 prisoners of war, including Azovstal defenders, were returned from Russian captivity.