Border guards describe condition of Ukrainian fighters returned from Russian captivity

VALENTYNA ROMANENKO — SUNDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2022, 10:46 AM

Nine border guards, released during the prisoners of war (POW) exchange on 21 September, are undergoing rehabilitation in medical institutions.

Source: Andrii Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine on air during the national 24/7 news broadcast on 25 September; the department's press service

Quote: "At the moment they are staying in medical institutions;, we immediately sent them for examination there. Their physical and psychological condition was extremely difficult, although we understand the conditions in which the Russians kept them, and how they were treated.

As far as their physical condition is concerned, they lost a lot of weight (tens of kilograms), and they are simply physically exhausted.

At the moment, they are receiving all the necessary medical assistance, and most of them have already had the opportunity to meet their families, which also contributes to the improvement of their condition. We are restoring their lost [identity] documents, the documents confirming their participation in hostilities, etc."

Details: The press office of the State Border Guard Service has also released a video of the border guard Ihor Kucher; he was released as part of the biggest prisoner exchange so far, coming to the border guards academy to congratulate his son, who was taking the oath of loyalty to the Ukrainian people.

Background: 

• On 21 September, as part of a POW exchange round with the Russian occupiers, Ukraine succeeded in freeing 215 Ukrainian defenders.
• Among the liberated people are border guards, policemen, marines, members of the National Guard of Ukraine, members of Ukraine’s Territorial Defence Forces, customs officials and civilians. Among the liberated border guards there is Valerii Padytel, head of the Donetsk border guard unit, as well as the officers and a staff sergeant of this unit.
• Viktor Medvedchuk [Ukrainian businessman and pro-Russian politician; Putin is his daughter’s godfather - ed.] and 55 Russian occupiers returned to Russia as a result of the exchange.
• This is the largest round of exchange of prisoners of war since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation on 24 February. A long process of rehabilitation, adaptation, recovery and treatment awaits the liberated defenders. It was reported that the freed Ukrainians are in a state of shock – almost all 215 people have an extreme degree of anorexia.
• More than 2,000 defenders of Mariupol remain in Russian captivity.

Journalists fight on their own frontline. Support Ukrainska Pravda or become our patron!