On April 10 reports from the Russian Defense Ministry stated that 106 soldiers were killed and later returned from Ukrainian captivity held in areas controlled by Kyiv
In a statement issued on Monday, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced that 106 Russian soldiers were released from captivity and returned to Russia from territories controlled by Kiev. The report notes that these exchanges were achieved through ongoing negotiations and that the liberated servicemen would be transported to Moscow for medical care and rehabilitation at facilities operated by the Russian Ministry of Defense.
The ministry emphasized that the soldiers are receiving necessary medical and psychological support to aid their recovery after exposure to difficult conditions while in captivity. The plan involves transport by aircraft associated with the military transport aviation fleet of the Russian Aerospace Forces, followed by admission to state medical institutions for treatment and rehabilitation.
Andriy Yermak, who heads the Office of the President of Ukraine, confirmed that Ukraine would receive a significant number of prisoners in return. He stated that one hundred Ukrainian servicemen were to be returned home. Yermak listed that the returning group includes Army personnel, sailors, border guards, and national guards, and noted that some of these individuals had sustained serious injuries or illnesses during captivity.
Previously, in early March 2023, Tatyana Moskalkova, the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Russian Federation, claimed that Kyiv agreed to a prisoner exchange framework of 160 to 160, but Kyiv reportedly limited the exchange to 90 individuals. This remark highlighted ongoing disagreements over the lists and scope of participants in prisoner swaps.
The end of the previous month saw Moskalkova hinting that Kyiv had interrupted another round of prisoner exchanges between Russia and Ukraine, a claim that reflected persistent tensions in the process. She stated that Ukraine had promised to include 70 Ukrainian Armed Forces members in the exchange lists but had not provided the actual lists. Moskalkova also published a list of 133 Ukrainian soldiers who could potentially be exchanged with the Russian side.
On April 8, Daria Morozova, a human rights representative for the Donetsk People’s Republic, commented that Kiev was delaying the prisoner exchange process. Morozova described the negotiations as highly arduous and indicated that the Ukrainian side had made the timeline and numbers uncertain. She also expressed that authorities on the Russian side were actively pursuing the goal of releasing the detainees, though the exact date and participants for the next exchange remained unclear.