Lubinets reports on health condition of Ukrainians released from Russian captivity
Seven men abducted by Russian invaders in 2022 in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity.
Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform.
“We have good news: 175 military personnel and seven civilians have returned home from Russian captivity. This is the result of the work of the negotiating group of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which includes various state bodies. At the same time, the humanitarian track for returning civilians was strengthened through my communication with Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova,” Lubinets said.
He noted that the key feature of this exchange is that the vast majority of those released had been held since 2022 – about 90% of them: 156 out of 175 soldiers and all seven civilians.
Among those freed are many defenders of Mariupol, as well as servicemen from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions. They include members of the National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and Armed Forces of Ukraine, including Territorial Defense, Air Assault Forces, motorized infantry, and mechanized units.
A total of 28 officers were returned, all of whom had been held since 2022. The oldest released serviceman is 63, the youngest is 21. Several of them will celebrate their birthdays this month, including one turning 45. Some were captured on the very first day of the full-scale invasion, while 27 had been in captivity for exactly four years.
Regarding civilians, Lubinets said they are mostly young men born in the 2000s who were abducted in the Kharkiv, Kyiv, Kherson, and Donetsk regions and illegally held since 2022.
He emphasized that those returned are in serious health condition, suffering from injuries and psychological distress.
According to Lubinets, the Ombudsman’s Office had received appeals concerning most of those who have now returned home.
“Our team was also working on-site today – documenting compliance with international humanitarian law, collecting testimonies from the released individuals, and informing them about their rights after returning home,” he added.
As reported, 175 Ukrainian service members and seven civilians were released from Russian captivity as part of a prisoner exchange.
Photo: Office of the President of Ukraine