Coordination Headquarters: 31 Azovstal defenders among those freed from Russian captivity

That is according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ukrinform reports.

All those released today are men, including 82 soldiers and sergeants and 21 officers.

The freed servicemen took part in the defense against the Russian invaders of Mariupol - 69 people (including 31 Azovstal defenders), Donetsk, Luhansk regions, as well as the Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv and Kyiv sectors.

Among them are also two guards of the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

Among those released are 38 National Guards soldiers.

It was also possible to return 28 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including two from the Kraken special forces unit, two from the International Legion for the Defense of Ukraine, three from the Special Operations Forces, and one from the Territorial Defense Forces.

Eight border guards, four police officers, 21 military sailors, three representatives of the State Special Transport Service, and one member of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine also returned home.

Most of them suffered serious injuries or wounds, have serious illnesses, and need immediate medical assistance.

Ukraine thanked the United Arab Emirates for assistance in organizing another prisoner swap.

During the prisoner exchange on September 13, Ukraine returned 23 women from Russian captivity, including civilians who were detained by the Russians and illegally deprived of their liberty even before the full-scale invasion.