Russia

Zelensky Declares 49 Ukrainian POWs Came Back To Kyiv

.Ukrainian Head of state Volodymyr Zelensky declared Friday that 49 Ukrainian POWs had been actually returned coming from Russia, along with AFP witnessing the group being greeted at the boundary with Belarus.Zelensky carried out not make clear whether it belonged to a swap with Russia, as is often the situation, yet AFP writers had actually previously observed Russian prisoners of war being loaded onto a bus near the perimeter.It would be actually the 2nd swap between the warring countries given that Kyiv's shock attack into Russia's Kursk region.Zelensky pointed out private citizens were actually additionally amongst the returnees, featuring a "female who was hijacked when she concerned handle her sick daddy.".He said the swap also featured competitors from Mariupol's 2022 Azovstal battle, as well as soldiers, perimeter guards and police officers.AFP spoke with 2 girls in their 20s covered in Ukrainian flags as well as receiving blooms, that mentioned they were at the Azovstal vegetation that was up to Russia after a siege in 2022." I am actually lastly home, I can not believe it," said 28-year-old Tamara Miroshnikova, commander of an equipped vehicle of Ukraine's National Protector, mentioned.An additional lady, 29-year-old Tetiana Bugay, said she was actually a medic at the Azov unit that fought for Azovstal.Previously, AFP saw the Ukrainian armed forces driving Russian POWs in a bus, some were putting on hoods hiding their faces, which were actually gotten rid of as they were actually filled in to a minivan.AFP talked to a few of them quickly, plus all those who communicated said they were actually taken captive in the course of Ukraine's unpleasant surprise Kursk aggression last month.