Ukraine welcomes back 45 citizens in new prison swap with Russia

Russia handed over 45 Ukrainian citizens in a prisoner swap on Thursday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk stated on her Telegram channel.

According to Vereshchuk, 45 Ukrainian citizens returned home on Thursday, including 13 officers and 20 soldiers. The remaining 12 citizens are civilians, she noted. The Ukrainian official did not specify how many people were handed over to Russia.

Russia has not commented so far on the new prisoner swap.

According to the Hromadske media outlet, this is the seventh prisoner swap since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The first swap was held on March 24, when 10 Ukrainian soldiers were exchanged for 10 Russian servicemen. Sailors who defended the infamous Snake Island returned to Ukraine during this exchange.

In total, over 250 Ukrainians have managed to return home, the media outlet reports.

Earlier, Vereshchuk stated that Ukraine and Russia had reached a parity when it comes to prisoners of war: both countries have captured about 700 soldiers. She added that over 1,000 civilians are also held captive by Russia, including about 500 women.