Russia spreads fake about Ukrainian prisoners exchange – AFU Strategic Communications

Russia spreads various fakes on the latest prisoner exchange that took place on January 3, the AFU Strategic Communications says.

Ukraine managed to return only 173 people from captivity in exchange for 248 Russians, the fake report states.

Russia also claims that it received an additional 75 soldiers for five Azovstal defense commanders who were brought back to Turkey by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the summer of 2023, which is also fake.

During the exchange, 230 troops and civilians returned to Ukraine, including 130 soldiers, 55 National Guardsmen, 38 border guards, one police officer and six civilians.

The Center for Strategic Communications explains that this number of Ukrainian soldiers was reported by the President and other agencies involved in the exchange.

"Russian propaganda is trying to create distrust in the Ukrainian government with this lie and to impose the idea that the Ukrainian authorities do not care about the fate of prisoners. Such fabrications are spread by the Kremlin every time it comes to the exchange of prisoners."

War prisoners exchange

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of War Prisoners noted that the exchange, which took place on January 3, was the largest in terms of the number of returned soldiers.

Other returnees included seven defenders of Snake (Zmiinyi) Island, a musician from a military orchestra, a woman soldier, imprisoned by the Russians while on maternity leave, and National Guardsmen who were captured while performing their duties at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

2,828 Ukrainians have been released from Russian captivity during the full-scale war, and this process will continue.