Ukraine announced Saturday that it had conducted the “third exchange” of prisoners with Russiawhich allowed the release of 12 Ukrainian soldiers and 14 civilians.
“By order of the President (Volodymyr) Zelensky, the third prisoner exchange took place today. Twelve of our soldiers are coming home, including a female officer. We have also allowed the release of 14 civilians, including nine women,” said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Telegram.
The Kremlin human rights delegate, Tatiana Moskalkovadeclared for his part that 14 Russian sailors were able to return home thanks to this exchange.
“Fourteen sailors from the civil ship Azov Concord“, held since February according to Moskalkova by the Ukrainian army in the port of Mariupol, the city martyred by Russia on the Sea of Azov, were “released and evacuated to a safe place,” she said on Telegram.
Ukraine conducted its first prisoner swap with Russia at the end of March, a month after the start of the conflict, when ten Russian soldiers were exchanged for ten Ukrainian soldiers, and eleven Russian civilian sailors, rescued from a ship that sank in the Black Sea near Odessa, for 19 captured Ukrainian civilians by the Russians.
On April 1, Ukraine reported the release of 86 of its soldiers captured by Russia, in an exchange for Russian soldiers whose number was not specified.
