Another 205 Ukrainians have returned home: the first stage of the “1000 for 1000” POW exchange has taken place (PHOTO, VIDEO)

“Today, warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning from russian captivity. This is the first stage of the 1000 for 1000 exchange”, - President Volodymyr Zelensky reported on social media on May 15.

Among those released are privates, sergeants, and officers. Most of them had been held in russian captivity since 2022. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv directions, and at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

“Thank you to everyone working to bring our people home, first and foremost to our warriors who replenish Ukraine’s exchange fund, and to our team. Thank you to all partners helping free Ukrainians from captivity. We will continue fighting for every man and woman who still remains in captivity”, - Zelensky noted.