.Ukrainian Head of state Volodymyr Zelensky declared Friday that 49 Ukrainian POWs had actually been actually come back from Russia, along with AFP seeing the team being actually welcomed at the boundary with Belarus.Zelensky did certainly not clarify whether it was part of an exchange with Russia, as is actually typically the scenario, yet AFP writers had actually previously viewed Russian prisoners of war being actually filled onto a bus near the perimeter.It would certainly be the second swap between the warring countries due to the fact that Kyiv's surprise incursion in to Russia's Kursk region.Zelensky claimed private citizens were actually likewise amongst the returnees, consisting of a "woman who was taken hostage when she related to deal with her ill papa.".He mentioned the swap additionally featured boxers from Mariupol's 2022 Azovstal war, and also soldiers, border shields and also policemans.AFP spoke to 2 females in their 20s covered in Ukrainian banners and receiving blossoms, that stated they went to the Azovstal plant that fell to Russia after a siege in 2022." I am actually finally home, I can't believe it," mentioned 28-year-old Tamara Miroshnikova, commander of an armed lorry of Ukraine's National Protector, stated.Another girl, 29-year-old Tetiana Bugay, mentioned she was actually a medic at the Azov brigade that fought for Azovstal.Previously, AFP found the Ukrainian military driving Russian POWs in a bus, some were using hoods hiding their faces, which were actually removed as they were actually packed in to a minivan.AFP spoke with a few of them briefly, plus all those that talked mentioned they were taken captive in the course of Ukraine's surprise Kursk offensive last month.