Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday urged his troops to take more prisoners, saying it would make it easier to secure the release of soldiers held by Russia.
Zelensky made the comments hours after the two sides carried out one of the biggest prisoner exchanges yet.
A total of 218 detainees were transferred, including 108 Ukrainian women.
“I thank everyone involved in this success and also to all those who replenish our exchange base, which guarantee the capture of enemies”, explained Zelensky.
“The more Russian prisoners we have, the sooner we can free our heroes. Every Ukrainian soldier, every frontline commander should remember this,” he continued.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky’s chief of staff, said there were 12 civilians among the women released.
“It was the first all-female exchange,” he wrote on the messaging app Telegram, adding that 37 of the women were captured after Russian forces seized steel giant Azovstal in the port city of Mariupol in May.
One of the women, doctor Viktoria Obidina, claimed that until the last moment the group had no idea that the exchange would take place. Obidine was with her daughter when Mariupol fell, but the two parted ways.
“I’m going to see my daughter. I really want to see her”, expressed Obidina.
Separately, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry reported that some of the women had been in prison since 2019 after being detained by pro-Moscow authorities in the eastern regions. Earlier, the Russian-installed chief of one of the regions said Kiev was releasing 80 civilians and 30 military personnel.
Source: CNN Brasil
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