Ukraine announced on Saturday that it had carried out a new exchange of prisoners with Russia since the start of the Russian invasion, allowing the release of 12 Ukrainian soldiers and 14 civilians.
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“
Twelve of our soldiers, including a female officer, are returning home.
We also allowed the release of 14 civilians, including nine women, making a total of 26 people
,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote on Telegram.
She did not specify the number of Russians exchanged for these Ukrainians.
The human rights delegate to the Kremlin, Tatiana Moskalkova, for her part indicated that 14 Russian sailors had been able to return home.
"
Fourteen sailors from the civilian ship Azov Concord
", held according to it by the Ukrainian army since February at the port of Mariupol, in the Sea of Azov, pounded by Russian strikes, were "
released and evacuated to a safe place
", indicated Tatiana Moskalkova on Telegram.
Several other exchanges of soldiers and civilians have already taken place between Ukrainians and Russians since the beginning of the invasion on February 24, without being officially confirmed each time by the two parties.
On April 1, the Ukrainian presidency announced that it had exchanged 86 of its soldiers for Russians, again without specifying the number of the latter.