As part of the latest phase of a large-scale prisoner exchange, which took place in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, a group of Ukrainian defenders has returned to their homeland. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, without specifying the number of those released.
Among those released are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the Navy, the Army, the Airborne Assault Forces, the Territorial Defence Forces, as well as fighters of the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.
This time, it was possible to return home mainly young soldiers under the age of 25, as well as defenders who were wounded and have health problems. The youngest of those released is 24 years old; he was captured during the defence of Mariupol in April 2022. The oldest is 62.
Most of those released had been in Russian captivity for over three years. Among them are officers and National Guard soldiers who guarded the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. They participated in the defence of Ukraine in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv and Sumy regions.
The released defenders will undergo medical examinations and rehabilitation and will receive all payments provided for by the state. The Coordination Headquarters noted that work on the return of all Ukrainian prisoners continues, and a new stage of exchange is expected in the near future.
We are continuing the exchanges, another stage. Today, soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Service are returning. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022. We are doing everything we can to find everyone and verify the information on each surname. We must bring all of our people home. Thank you to everyone who is helping us in this endeavour – Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
