Forty defenders of Zmiinyi Island have already returned home from captivity

“Together with colleagues from the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the leadership of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, representatives of the command of the Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the head of the National Information Bureau, we held a meeting with the families of the defenders of Zmiinyi Island,” Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets posted on Telegram.

At the meeting, the issues raised by the relatives were discussed, in particular, regarding the principle of exchanges and the formation of lists of various categories of prisoners of war. Families were also interested in the participation of international organizations in the exchange process.

"We also raised the issue of pressure from the Russian side on the families of prisoners. We must understand that the aggressor state is treacherous, so we must not give in to their provocations," the ombudsman noted.

As noted, forty defenders of Zmiinyi Island are already at home.

“The return of everyone is a meticulous and colossal work that requires patience and much effort. We constantly keep in touch with relatives and do everything possible so that Ukrainians get back to their land. Everyone's life is valuable to us," Lubinets said and thanked the families for their understanding and willingness to help.

As reported, according to Andriy Yusov, the head of the working group on interaction with the media and relatives of the defenders at the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ukraine negotiates several exchanges with the Russian side at the same time and tries to agree on the prisoner exchange in "all for all" format.