"Today, we completed another exchange: 103 Ukrainian defenders have been returned from Russian captivity," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a post on the X social media platform.
"Many of these men have been held since 2022 – from the first months of the war," he added.
"These include warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, border guards, police officers, and soldiers from other elements of our Defense and Security Forces," Zelensky detailed.
"Among them are defenders from the Kyiv and Donetsk regions, including Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as other parts of the regions; some were captured in Kharkiv and Kherson regions as well," he said.
Zelensky also said in his post that some of the released POWs were "in serious condition due to injuries," declaring that "all will receive the necessary care."
Saturday's POW swap directly followed a similar exchange that Russia and Ukraine conducted on Friday, during which they returned 49 prisoners each, Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported.
Russia invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on February 24, 2022, starting the largest military conflict in Europe since World War II.
Monday is day 936 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.
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Source: IAR, PAP, ukrinform.net
