Russian soldiers released from captivity thanked Putin

The servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, who were released from Ukrainian captivity, thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin, Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko and their relatives. The relevant footage was posted on the Vesti Telegram channel on May 24.

"Thanks to Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, Lukashenko, the president, and thanks to all the relatives and friends who supported and believed us, we passed all this test," said one of the released servicemen.

In addition, the fighters were able to call their relatives to tell them about their arrival in Moscow.

"We went through a lot, it was very difficult, but we overcame all the difficulties. Now we are at home, we really want to see our relatives and friends," said a soldier of the Russian Armed Forces.

Good background rules: how a large-scale prisoner exchange affects the dialogue between Moscow and Kiev

At the first stage, 390 military personnel and civilians each return to Russia and Ukraine.

The released soldiers told Izvestia about their joy at returning to their homeland. Sergei Kholodkov, a soldier of the Russian Armed Forces, noted that he did not know in advance about his return home. The military will have a long rehabilitation period.

The Russian Federation and Ukraine agreed on a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war according to the "1000 for 1000" formula at talks in Istanbul on May 16. As part of the Russian-Ukrainian agreements, 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians were returned from the territory controlled by the Kiev regime on May 23.