We continued the exchange today. Another 307 of our warriors have been returned home – privates and sergeants. Most of them are from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. There are also members of the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service. Of all these people, 273 were taken captive in the Donetsk region, many as far back as 2022; others were captured in the territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions. In total, over these two days of exchanges, 697 Ukrainians have returned home.
Tomorrow is the third stage. We are to free a thousand of our people these days. But the task is to bring home absolutely everyone who is currently held in Russia. And this is a joint task for our intelligence services, for our diplomats, for our entire state. Clearly, it’s not an easy task, but it must be accomplished. I’m grateful to everyone around the world who is helping us. And it’s truly very important for us that our partners – every leader, every state – support us in this difficult work.
Tomorrow is the third stage. We are to free a thousand of our people these days. But the task is to bring home absolutely everyone who is currently held in Russia. And this is a joint task for our intelligence services, for our diplomats, for our entire state. Clearly, it’s not an easy task, but it must be accomplished. I’m grateful to everyone around the world who is helping us. And it’s truly very important for us that our partners – every leader, every state – support us in this difficult work.