President Zelenskyy Announces Return of 49 Ukrainians from Russia
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the successful return of 49 Ukrainians from Russian captivity. The group includes service personnel from the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the National Police, and border guards, as well as civilians.
This marks the 56th prisoner exchange since the war began in February 2022, with a total of 3,569 Ukrainians brought back from Russian captivity. However, Ukraine did not disclose the number of Russians released in exchange.
Sharing a post on X, Zelenskyy posted pictures of the returnees and wrote, “Another return of our people – something we always wait for and work tirelessly to achieve. Forty-nine Ukrainians are now home. These include warriors from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, and our civilians. Among them is Leniye Umerova, a young woman taken hostage by the Russians when she came to take care of her sick father. More defenders of Azovstal have also been freed. Viktor Ivchuk, a military medic and Hero of Ukraine, is also back home.”
The Ukrainian President expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the team responsible for securing the release of prisoners and hostages from Russian captivity. He emphasized the importance of bringing home every remaining Ukrainian still held captive by Russia. “I want to thank our entire team that works to secure the release of prisoners and hostages from Russian captivity. I especially want to acknowledge each of our Ukrainian units that contribute to replenishing the exchange fund for our country. All our warriors who capture Russian occupiers, and all our services that neutralize Russian saboteurs and collaborators, bring closer the liberation of our people. We must bring home every single one of our people, both military and civilian,” Zelenskyy said.
Meanwhile, the Defence Ministry of Ukraine also informed about the release of 49 Ukrainians from Russian captivity. Sharing a post on X, the Defence Ministry said, “At home. Today, 49 of our people returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, National Police and civilians are finally back home. Glory to Ukraine!”
Doubts Revealed
President Zelenskyy -: Volodymyr Zelenskyy is the President of Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe.
Ukrainians -: Ukrainians are people from Ukraine, a country in Eastern Europe.
Russian captivity -: Russian captivity means being held as prisoners by Russia, another country in Eastern Europe and Asia.
military personnel -: Military personnel are people who work in the army or other armed forces.
civilians -: Civilians are people who are not in the military; they are regular citizens.
prisoner exchange -: A prisoner exchange is when two countries swap prisoners, so each country gets its people back.
February 2022 -: February 2022 is when the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine started.
3,569 -: 3,569 is the total number of Ukrainians who have been freed from Russian captivity so far.
