The fifth exchange of prisoners of war has been carried out: 76 Ukrainians return home

DENYS KARLOVSKYI — TUESDAY, 19 APRIL 2022, 15:24

Ukrainian authorities have conducted a fifth exchange of prisoners of war with the Russian occupiers, returning 76 Ukrainians home.

Source: Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk

Details: 60 military personnel, including 10 officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, are among those who were exchanged. 

The Ukrainian authorities also agreed to return 16 civilians taken hostage by the Russian soldiers.

Background: 

• On 14 April, the Ukrainian authorities carried out a fourth 30-for-30 prisoner-of-war exchange. On 1 April, Ukraine held an "86-for-86" exchange, 15 of them were women.

• On 24 March, Ukrainian authorities carried out a ten-for-ten exchange of prisoners of war. 19 crew members of the "Sapphire" rescue ship captured by the Russian occupiers were rescued.

• Earlier, the Ukrainian authorities had also exchanged 9 Russian conscripts for the captured mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was abducted on 11 March.

• There is also information about exchanges carried out upon the decision of the military leadership. In particular, at the beginning of the war, on 1 March, a Russian commander captured in the Sumy region was exchanged for 5 fighters of the Territorial Defence Forces. On 15 April, in the Kherson region, the military command exchanged 5 Ukrainian defenders for 4 captured Russian occupiers.

• On 18 April, the detained ex-MP Viktor Medvedchuk [of the Ukrainian pro-Russian party ‘Opposition Platform — For Life’], a suspect in a treason case, appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin (the godfather of Medvedchuk's daughter) and to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to exchange him for Ukrainian defenders and civilians in Mariupol. The Ukrainian authorities said they were ready for such an exchange, but the Kremlin is hesitating.