Exclusive footage is released of 44 prisoners of war returning to Ukraine
The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) and the National Guard have posted footage of 44 Ukrainian prisoners of war being brought back to Ukraine after a swap with Russia on 26 April.
Source: SSU; National Guard; State Border Guard Service
Quote from the SSU: "This is the result of the work of the Joint Coordination Center for Search and Release of Illegally Deprived Persons and Hostages, which implemented a decision made by the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
The life of every Ukrainian is of the greatest value!"
Details: 42 military personnel and 2 civilians were brought back.
According to the National Guard, 19 of them are personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 11 of the State Border Guard Service, 7 of the Ukrainian Naval Forces, 2 of the National Guard of Ukraine, and 3 of the Territorial Defence Forces. The Ukrainian servicemen comprise 6 officers and 37 privates and sergeants.
The released servicemen had fought on the Mariupol, Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Luhansk and Sumy fronts. Many of them are wounded and suffering from the consequences of horrific torture. A military surgeon who operated on the wounded in the military hospital in Mariupol and organised mass medical aid was also released from captivity.
One of those released, the commander of a unit, had been threatened with long-term imprisonment by a so-called "court".
Two men whose wives were released by the Coordinating Headquarters in previous exchanges were also brought back from captivity.
The National Guard also posted a video of the exchange.
According to the State Border Guard Service, of the 11 border guards who returned from Russian captivity, 5 are servicemen of the Donetsk detachment, 4 are border guards of the Mariupol marine guard detachment, and 2 more are soldiers of the Sumy border detachment. They had defended Mariupol, Azovstal and Kherson Oblast and fought the invaders in Ukraine's east.
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