LUGANSK, December 28. /TASS/. Nearly 170 servicemen from the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) have been released from Ukrainian captivity and returned home since the beginning of 2023, LPR Human Rights Commissioner Viktoriya Serdyukova said.

"This year, 169 servicemen were released from Ukrainian captivity. We may call prisoner exchanges, which started in May 2022, regular in our reality. The exchange process stopped in May 2023. Now there is a lack of interaction between defense agencies because of the decree issued by [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky (any interaction with Russian bodies is prohibited - TASS). After the end of exchange in May, there were some exchanges of fallen servicemen," she said at a briefing in Lugansk.

Serdyukova added that more than 1,000 LPR military personnel may be held in Ukrainian captivity, according to data from appeals received from LPR residents.