Twelve Ukrainians have returned home from captivity, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs).

"Ten defenders belong to the soldiers and sergeants. They were captured, in particular, in battles near Bakhmut, the villages of Opytne and Horikhove-Vasylyivka in Donetsk region, near Kreminna and Chervonopopivka in Luhansk region. Two civilians, who were held hostage by the aggressor, were also returned: from the village of Lyptsi, Kharkiv region and Mariupol," the Coordination Headquarters reported on its Telegram channel on Monday.

It is reported that the released military belong to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular, the 518th separate special purpose battalion, the 25th separate airborne Sycheslav brigade, the 95th separate airborne assault brigade, the 93rd separate mechanized brigade Kholodny Yar, the 56th separate motorized infantry Mariupol Brigade, and the 57th separate rifle battalion.

As noted in the message of the headquarters, on March 24, Ukraine voluntarily and unconditionally returned to Russia all five seriously wounded prisoners who were transportable. "This complies with the requirements of international humanitarian law. But the aggressor state decided to release only five seriously wounded Ukrainians, and not all, as required by the international conventions signed by the Russian Federation. This eloquently demonstrates the enemy's unwillingness to adhere to the Geneva Conventions, unjustified cruelty towards the seriously wounded and a blatant lack of interest in establishing further exchanges for particularly vulnerable categories of prisoners and civilian hostages," the message posted by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War says.

According to the Coordination Staff, since the beginning of the large-scale invasion, 2,005 Ukrainians have already been released from captivity.