UWC Vice President thanks UAE for its role in 16th POW exchange

Yevheniy Semenov, UWC Vice President for Middle East and Central Asia, expressed sincere gratitude to the United Arab Emirates government for assisting in facilitating the 16th prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia.

Eighty-four Ukrainian citizens, both military personnel and civilians, were repatriated on Aug. 14. Many require medical care and extensive rehabilitation.

“One of the freed had been in captivity for 4,013 days — imprisoned in the Donetsk region since 2014. Among those released are three women from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including a primary school teacher who was deprived of her freedom in 2019,” Semenov wrote.

Additionally, a 27-year-old man who had been detained since 2016, when he was just 18 years old, returned home.

“In addition to civilians, the exchange has brought home Defenders from the Mariupol garrison, service members of the Navy, and the State Border Guard Service. Ten officers were among those freed,” Semenov said.

The youngest released individual is 26 years old, while the oldest is 74, having spent the past seven years (since 2018) in a Russian prison.

“Welcome home,” Semenov wrote.

The UAE is now considered one of the most effective mediators in helping Ukraine recover its military personnel, according to Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.