The 53rd exchange of prisoners of war has not yet concluded; the operation is ongoing, and this is not the last update, stated Andriy Yusov, representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
"Yes, indeed, it's wonderful news, but it's not yet the 53rd exchange because it hasn't concluded yet. The operation is ongoing. Within this operation, we have already brought back 90 of our defenders. But these are not the final updates, and we truly expect to provide additional information soon. The work continues," Yusev said during a televised marathon on Wednesday.
He emphasized that there have been no easy prisoner exchanges with Russia, and the aggressor country disregards international humanitarian law.
"Every exchange is difficult, a tough struggle to bring back our defenders and civilians," the spokesperson added.
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On the evening of June 25, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced another exchange of prisoners with Russia facilitated by the UAE, resulting in the return of 90 Ukrainians to Ukraine.
According to the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the release of prisoners of war, among those returned are 32 National Guard soldiers, 18 border guards, 17 representatives of the Naval Forces, 15 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and 8 members of territorial defense units.
In particular, 59 defenders of Mariupol were successfully returned, including 52 fighters who had been at "Azovstal." Five National Guard soldiers who guarded the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant were also liberated from captivity.
