The Russian Federation is holding 131 representatives of the National Guard captured during the occupation of the Chornobyl exclusion zone at the beginning of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, said Ruslan Strilets, Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.

"Unfortunately, today a significant part of the people who were taken captive by the occupiers from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant remain there. These are 131 defenders of the station, National guardsmen. Chornobyl workers have all been returned home," he said at a briefing during a visit to the exclusion zone on the 37th anniversary of the Chornobyl accident on Wednesday.

According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, initially there were 169 defenders of the station in captivity. At the same time, Strilets noted that President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak are making every effort to return Ukrainians from Russian captivity.

At the same time, he pointed out that it is extremely important to remember the feat of the Chornobyl workers, who were under enemy occupation for 35 days.

As reported, the occupation of the Exclusion Zone lasted from February 24 to March 31, 2022.