Twelve Ukrainians freed from Russian captivity

3 April, 2023 Providing first aid to a freed Ukrainian POW April 3, 2023. Photo credits: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War On Monday, April 3, a new exchange of prisoners of war took place.

Ukraine managed to return twelve prisoners of war from Russian captivity. The news was made public by Dmytro Lubinets, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, on his social media accounts. As part of the POW exchange, it was possible to return 12 Ukrainians who were in Russian captivity.

It is known that five persons who have returned from captivity are seriously injured. Among them are three military personnel and two civilian citizens of Ukraine. Ten defenders belong to the ranks of soldiers and sergeants. They were captured, in particular, in the battles near Bakhmut, the villages of Opytny and Orikhovo-Vasylivka in Donetsk region, near Kreminna and Chervonopopivka in Luhansk region.

The released servicemen belong to the 518th separate special purpose battalion, the 25th Separate Airborne Sicheslav Brigade, the 95th Air Assault Brigade, the 93rd Mechanized Brigade "Kholodnyi Yar", the 56th Motorized Brigade and the 57th Battalion. Ttwo civilians, who were held hostage by the aggressor, returned home: from the village of Lyptsi, Kharkiv region, and Mariupol. It is reported that the exchange took place in response to the repatriation of seriously wounded and seriously ill prisoners of the Russian military, which took place on March 24.

The Ombudsman emphasized Russia's violation of international humanitarian law, which illegally holds Ukrainian civilians captive. "According to the Geneva Conventions, civilians should not be taken prisoners at all. However, we state the fact that the Russians took our citizens hostage and did not provide them with the necessary medical assistance," Dmytro Lubinets said.

Lubinets also emphasized that Ukraine needs access to places of detention of Ukrainian citizens. According to him, currently the Russian Federation does not provide prisoners of war with proper conditions of stay. Ukrainians have no contact with their relatives, they have inadequate medical care and poor nutrition.

According to the statement of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 2,005 Ukrainians have already been released from captivity since the beginning of the large-scale invasion.