More than a thousand Ukrainians have been held captive in Russia since 2022 — Coordination Headquarters

Bogdan Okhrimenko, head of the Secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, spoke about this in an interview with Ukrinform.

“Russia planned to capture Kyiv in three days, but the Security and Defence Forces repelled the offensive. However, civilians and military units that found themselves in the path of the advancing Russian troops became hostages to the situation. More than a thousand people have been held captive since 2022,” he said.

Okhrimenko added that the Coordination Headquarters is working with the Russian side to secure the release of this category of prisoners first and foremost, as the poor quality of food and medical care, as well as systematic sadism towards our civilians and military personnel, is taking its toll.

“We understand that these people must be a priority, because their resources are running out,” noted the head of the Coordination Headquarters Secretariat.

The return of Ukrainians from captivity: what is known

This year, during the Easter prisoner exchange, a significant number of prisoners held in Russia since 2022 were returned.

In total, since the start of the full-scale invasion, 9,048 military personnel and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity.

In February this year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that there are currently around 7,000 Ukrainians in Russian captivity, and 4,000 Russian prisoners in Ukraine. He emphasised that Ukraine is ready for an “all for all” exchange.

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