Coordination HQ: 16% of Ukrainian POWs are citizens of Ukraine
About 16% of people currently held captive in Ukraine are Ukrainian citizens; of these, 6% are Crimeans, Secretary of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Brigadier General Dmytro Usov said.
"In percentage terms, 16% of those citizens currently held captive in our country are our citizens; of which 6% are Crimeans. This is a big figure. These are our citizens. We understand that we, as a state, must make the right decisions when there is a request from the Russian side for their exchange. Since it is not clear when a citizen of Ukraine is exchanged for a citizen of Ukraine," he said during the Crimea Global third international conference.
Usov said this figure concerns civilians.
He said a bill is currently being considered in the Verkhovna Rada, which will allow Ukrainian citizens held captive in Ukraine to be released, remain in the country and fulfill their duties.
