POW cards will be created in Ukraine. These will be personal pages where relatives will be able to track all changes in the status of a prisoner of war.

The press service of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported this following a meeting with representatives of the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war with the participation of the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov.

The meeting also discussed the process of treatment, rehabilitation and, if necessary, prosthetics for those released from captivity, the press service said.

The exchange of prisoners of war is a difficult and painful process, but the exchange on the 21st opens up new opportunities for us. The state provides all those who return with everything they need: from basic necessities to rehabilitation and recovery“, Budanov said.

For example, the exchange on September 21, during which 215 soldiers were released, was prepared for more than two months.

Photo: Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Photo: Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

According to the press service, the meeting was about border guards, marines, sailors, national guardsmen, intelligence officers, and military personnel, both privates and officers, and conscripts. They also talked about those who are considered non-combatants under the Geneva Conventions, such as Ukrainian medics and, for example, musicians of the Marine Corps orchestra.

The Coordination Center emphasized that non-combatants must be returned in accordance with international law.

The meeting was attended by relatives of prisoners of war and missing persons, in particular, from Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, Mykolaiv, and Kyiv regions.

There were representatives of the NGOs Women of Steel, the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, Polygon 56, Berehynia, Enerhodar Conscripts, Mothers of the Kryvbas Battalion, Toshkivka Wives, Chornobyl NPP defenders, a group of native marines from the 1st Brigade and 36th Brigade, border guards from Zmiiny, and the 555th Military Hospital.

Photo: Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
Photo: Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

The meeting was also attended by relatives and friends of those defenders who were taken prisoner in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine in 2014-2016.

On September 21, Ukraine returned 215 prisoners of war. 205 Ukrainian soldiers were released from Russian captivity. Of these, 108 are Azov fighters.

In addition to the Ukrainian military, 10 foreigners who fought on the side of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were released. These are citizens of the United States, Britain, Morocco, Sweden, and Croatia. They are returning home with the mediation of Saudi Arabia.

Автор: Юрій Гончаренко

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