Some 24 military sailors and 11 more Ukrainians are returning to the country, Nina Karpachova, the European Ombudsman Institute vice president and the first Ukrainian ombudsman, has said.

"One can say now that the most important thing has been achieved, the dialogue of the two presidents, Ukrainian and Russian, took place and effectively ended a stalemate in relation to the issue, which had remained pending for 20 months. We have the pardon as a result of this dialogue. Ukrainian President [Volodymyr] Zelensky pardoned 16 people, including three women," she told Interfax-Ukraine on Saturday.

"Our citizen, filmmaker Oleh Sentsov, is flying among them," Karpachova said.

On Friday, Ukraine had released on personal recognizance 19 people who agreed to be swapped, and 16 were pardoned, she said.

"In total, 35 people. In the end, hopefully, the 35-for-35 formula will be implemented," Karpachova said.

Upon their arrival, the released people will undergo medical rehabilitation, she said.