Prisoner exchange sees 42 Ukrainian soldiers, two civilians return home

On Wednesday, April 26, Ukraine conducted another exchange of prisoners with the Russian Federation: 42 defenders and two civilians returned home.

The head of the President's Office, Andrii Yermak, reported this in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

"36 released Ukrainians are privates and sergeants. Another six are officers,"  the chief of staff said. "Among them are soldiers, border guards, national guardsmen, and sailors who defended Mariupol, the Kherson region, and participated in battles in Donbas."

Also, two civilians were released from the captivity of the Russian occupiers.

Among the freed are the wounded whom the Russian forces tortured in captivity. There are also two men whose wives were previously released from captivity.

"Our team, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, continues to fulfill the task of President Volodymyr Zelensky, which was clearly stated: 'Return everyone home,'" said the head of the President's Office.

Earlier, it became known that Ukraine held another exchange of prisoners on Orthodox Easter. Then 130 defenders were freed from Russian captivity.

Rubryka reported that according to the head of Ukraine's defense intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine is negotiating with Russia to exchange prisoners "all for all."

According to Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian parliament's Commissioner for Human Rights, 2,105 people have been exchanged so far in prisoner swaps. He added that the Ukrainian authorities have only approximate information on how many Ukrainian citizens are in captivity in Russia.

According to thr lastest reports, about 3,400 Ukrainian servicemen are currently in captivity, Aliona Verbytska, the presidential commissioner for the rights of defenders of Ukraine said in December 2022.