Ukraine welcomes home 49 civilians and Azov soldiers freed from Russian captivity
Source: Volodymyr Zelensky
On September 13, 49 Ukrainian civilians and military personnel have returned home from Russian captivity, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
“orty-nine Ukrainians are now home. These include warriors from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the National Police, the State Border Guard Service, and our civilians. Among them is Leniye Umerova, a young woman taken hostage by the Russians when she came to take care of her sick father. More defenders of Azovstal have also been freed. Viktor Ivchuk, a military medic and Hero of Ukraine, is also back home,” wrote Zelenskyy on social media.
The president promised Kyiv will ‘bring home every single one of our people, both military and civilian”.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets who coordinates prisoner exchanges on Ukraine’s side, said it was 56th exchange since the start of the war. “Since the start of the full-scale invasion, 3,569 Ukrainians have returned home,” he added.
Amendments to Ukraine’s enforcement proceedings legislation, initiated by the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, have entered into force. Among other measures, the reform provides for the automated lifting of attachments on bank accounts immediately after debts in enforcement proceedings have been fully settled. The main practical benefit for citizens is the complete elimination of the need to contact an enforcement officer in person and wait for paper decisions once the debt has been paid.
The 157th Separate Mechanized Brigade has received another batch of supplies as part of Rinat Akhmetov’s Steel Front military initiative. This time, the military received seven quad bikes and four mobile shower and bath units.
In my previous column, I wrote about social innovations in Ukraine. Those innovations are part of civic resilience and the democratization of security, which Europe is paying close attention to right now. The EU is trying to work out how to spread responsibility for its own security across society as a whole, rather than leaving it to institutions alone. It is looking for concrete ways to bring ordinary people into the work of defense and resistance.
Petro Poroshenko’s lawyers have appealed to the High Anti-Corruption Court demanding that NABU be obligated to register proceedings regarding the fact of exerting influence on the court and to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in the case of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Iryna Mudra, due to her pressure on Supreme Court judges who were considering a lawsuit to overturn sanctions.
Internationally recognized brands and financial institutions should direct capital to Ukraine now, not waiting for the hostilities to end. This was emphasized by Rinat Akhmetov, president of FC Shakhtar, during a working visit to UEFA headquarters in Nyon, Switzerland, where he met with UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin.