49 more Ukrainians return home from Russian captivity, including Azovstal plant defenders

Volodymyr Zelensky, the head of state, declared the homecoming of 49 Ukrainian men and women who were held captive in Russia. They include defenders of the Azovstal plant.

The president announced this on Telegram.

"Another return of our people, for which we always wait and for whom we work. 49 Ukrainian men and women are at home. These are soldiers of Ukraine's armed forces, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, and our civilians. In particular, Leniye Umerova – the girl who was taken hostage by the Russians when she came to take care of her sick father. We also managed to free some of Azovstal's defenders. The Hero of Ukraine, military medic Viktor Ivchuk, is also at home," Zelensky said.

Leniye Umerova said after her return:

 "Words cannot express how long I have been waiting for this day. How happy I am to see the Ukrainian flag."

According to Andrii Yermak, the President's Office chief, 23 soldiers and 19 officers were among the captives who were released.

This exchange of prisoners became the 56th exchange.

A total of 3,569 Ukrainians have been returned home since the start of the full-scale invasion, reported Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.

He says that the health status of those who were released is very grave, with many of them having lost tens of kilograms of weight.

According to the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, this exchange was unprecedented as it marked the release of 23 women, including civilians, whom the Russians had held before the large-scale invasion.

It was also possible to release the women who were forced to take part in the so-called "trials" against the defenders of Mariupol.

The head of the patronage department for the Azov brigade, Olena Tolkachova, announced that, after a long while, 15 Azov fighters, primarily women, who had been held captive for over two years, might finally be coming home as part of a prisoner exchange.

The president thanked the team that ensured the release of prisoners and hostages from Russian captivity.

"I would like to single out each of our Ukrainian units that replenish the exchange fund for our state. All our soldiers who capture the Russian occupiers, all our services that neutralize Russian saboteurs and collaborators, bring the release of our people closer. We must bring home everyone ours – both soldiers and civilians," Zelensky noted.

For reference:

On August 24, as part of the aforementioned exchange, nine unlawfully imprisoned defenders were liberated from Russian captivity. Personnel from the National Guard and armed forces were returned. Military sailors, three border guards, and 82 defenders from Mariupol and Azovstal also reunited with their families.

Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets expressed hope that exchanges between Ukraine and the Russian Federation could become regular and take place almost every week. According to him, this is influenced by the number of Russian soldiers in Ukrainian captivity.