Since start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 9,716 prisoners of war returned home, says Lubinets

In total, 9,716 Ukrainians have returned home from Russian captivity since February 24, 2022.

According to Ukrinform, Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament’s Commissioner for Human Rights, announced this on Telegram.

“Ukrainian government agencies that are part of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War have managed to free 103 defenders from Russian captivity. These are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Territorial Defense Forces and the Navy, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service. They were defending Ukraine in the Donetsk (including the city of Mariupol), Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions,” the post reads.

According to the ombudsman, the vast majority of those freed today from Russian captivity are privates and sergeants, accounting for 99% of those released. The oldest among them is 59 years old, and the youngest is 26.

“Two of the defenders celebrated their birthdays yesterday—they turned 34 and 45. There are also seriously wounded and seriously ill individuals among those returned. I congratulate the men on their return home and wish them a speedy recovery,” he added.