DONETSK, October 26. /TASS/. Russian diplomacy scored a big win by returning servicemen born in the Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR) from Ukrainian captivity last week, DPR human rights commissioner Daria Morozova told TASS.

On October 23, Russian human rights ombudswoman Yana Lantratova announced the release of 31 servicemen from the DPR who had been held captive by Ukraine. According to her, this was the first such release since 2022.

"As part of the prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine, soldiers who defended the Donetsk People’s Republic have returned home for the first time in a long while. This is a significant achievement and victory for Russian diplomacy. Until now, the exchange of our defenders had been blocked by the Ukrainian side for political reasons," Morozova said.

The ombudswoman added that this work is ongoing.

Earlier, Morozova told TASS that about 500 natives of the DPR remain in Ukrainian captivity. According to the ombudswoman, Kiev is manipulating the exchange of prisoners from the DPR by dragging out the process.