The defence ministry says how many prisoners have been returned home since the beginning of the year

A total of 2,235 POWs have been returned home since Russia began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Anna Malyar on Telegram.

The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War of the Interior Ministry in cooperation with the Office of the President has returned 2,235 people to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion. The exchange and treatment of POWs is further proof of the civilized nature of the Ukrainian state even in such a devastating war," she noted.

She recalled that Ukraine had organized the exchange and treatment of prisoners of war since 24 February 2022 in full compliance with international law. In the spring of 2022, all the necessary laws, regulations and orders were promptly adopted and a new effective civilized state mechanism for exchange and treatment of prisoners of war was launched.

And as early as March 11, 2022, a coordinating headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war was created under the General Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, which coordinates the activities of more than ten state institutions involved in the process of exchange and treatment of prisoners of war.

At the same time, Malyar pointed out that Ukraine had created conditions for holding POWs in line with all the requirements of the Geneva Conventions.

The logistics of an enemy prisoner of war have been regulated from the moment of apprehension to delivery to the camp. Several law-enforcement agencies are involved in this process and the area of responsibility of each of them is set out in regulations," the deputy defence minister wrote.

We would like to point out that another 130 Ukrainian servicemen were released from Russian captivity on Sunday, 16 April. According to the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 92 servicemen of the AFU, 20 Terrorists, 11 National Guardsmen, three border guards, two representatives of the Navy and the State Special Transport Service each returned home. 48 of the 130 defenders released today were reported missing.