189 Ukrainians return from Russian captivity under prisoner swap

KIEV, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 189 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity on Monday as a part of a new prisoner swap, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Among those released were 187 servicemen, including officers, soldiers and sergeants, along with two civilians, Zelensky wrote in a post on Telegram.

The freed troops included military personnel who fought for the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, the city of Mariupol, and the Snake Island in the Black Sea, he added.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted 59 prisoner exchanges to date, according to the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

These swaps resulted in the release of 3,956 people from Russian captivity, including 1,358 freed this year alone.