505 marines have been returned from Russian captivity, but another 3,000 are in captivity or missing

Marines from the 36th Brigade of Mykolaiv have been returned from Russian captivity. Illustrative photo: 36th Brigade named after Rear Admiral M. Bilynskyi

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 505 Ukrainian marines have been returned from Russian captivity, but another 3,000 from various units are missing or in captivity.

This was reported by the head of the secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Bohdan Okhrimenko, according to «Media Initiative for Human Rights».

According to him, Ukraine continues to insist on the creation of mixed medical commissions (MMCs) to have access to places where sick and wounded prisoners of war are held.

«This is one of the most effective mechanisms. This is the third time in history that the Ukrainian side has set up such a commission. For our part, we have done our part, gone through absolutely all the steps, handed over the necessary documents to the ICRC, and selected independent doctors. We have been waiting for the relevant approval from Russia for more than a year and a half», said Bohdan Okhrimenko.

In addition, Bohdan Chumak, advisor to the International Law Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Ukraine is holding consultations with third countries to become patron states.

He noted that such a decision would make it possible to monitor compliance with proper conditions of detention and speed up the release of prisoners. However, the candidates must also be approved by the Russian Federation, so only a neutral country can become a patron.

As a reminder, in December, during a prisoner exchange, nine marines of the 36th Mykolaiv Brigade, who were captured while defending Mariupol, were returned.