Ukrainian intelligence services said that Ukraine repatriated 144 soldiers, including defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol (southeast), in the largest prisoner exchange with Russia since the beginning of the war.
“This is the biggest change [de prisioneiros] Since the beginning of the Russian occupation. Of the 144 released, 95 are Azovstal defenders.”
Intelligence services did not provide further details on the date or location of the operation, but said 43 of those released belonged to the Azov battalion, a former paramilitary unit formed by Ukrainian nationalists who are now part of the Ukrainian army.
Considering the members of the battalion to be neo-Nazi, Russia said its soldiers should be put on trial.
According to the Ukrainian intelligence services, “most” of the prisoners exchanged “are badly injured” by “bullet or shrapnel”, but also suffer from “burns, fractures”.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the two countries have exchanged prisoners on various occasions.
The most recent exchange took place on Tuesday with 17 Ukrainian prisoners.
In addition, the two countries also exchanged the bodies of dead soldiers in mid-June, and at that time Ukraine captured the remains of 64 defenders of the Azovstal steelworks in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which fell into the hands of Russia in May.
source: Noticias
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