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25 Ukrainians return from Russian captivity, including Azovstal defenders
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced the return from captivity of 25 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel, including defenders of Mariupol and the Azovstal steelworks, as well as soldiers who fought in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.
Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Telegram
Quote from Zelenskyy:Â “Today, 25 more of our people are returning home to Ukraine. These are our military and civilians. Among them are defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as of our Kharkiv, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson oblasts. Many of them have severe injuries and illnesses, and each will receive all the necessary medical care.”
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that Ukraine has established a separate format for bringing back seriously ill and injured PoWs. They have returned through reciprocal repatriation.
Among those who have been brought back are wounded Ukrainian soldiers from Kursk Oblast.
The youngest Ukrainian returning home from captivity is 24.
The wounded soldiers have suffered vision loss, amputations, complex bullet wounds and complications from blast injuries. Tuberculosis, cancer and gangrene are among the health problems present, which speaks volumes about the harsh conditions that the captive Ukrainians endured.
The Coordination Headquarters noted that under the Third Geneva Convention, seriously ill and seriously wounded soldiers should be repatriated first.
