Release of Ukrainian Soldiers: A New Phase in Exchanges
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, announced the successful completion of a new phase of prisoner exchanges, which have been ongoing since 2022.
He shared this update on his Telegram account.
«We are continuing the exchanges, and today we are bringing back our heroes from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022. We are doing everything possible to locate each person, verify information about everyone. We need to bring everyone home», - Zelensky stated.
He also expressed gratitude to all those who assist Ukraine in these exchanges.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that representatives of the Navy, Ground Forces, Airborne Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as National Guard and State Border Guard Service fighters have returned to Ukraine.
The majority of the released defenders have been held captive for over three years, with many captured during the defense of Mariupol.
"Among those returned are also officers. The oldest among them is 62 years old, and the youngest is 24 years old”, - wrote the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, on Telegram.
The Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, added that the youngest released today was captured at the age of 21 during the defense of Mariupol.
«Today, on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, another group of Ukrainian defenders has been liberated from Russian captivity. According to the agreements reached in Istanbul, fighters aged up to 25 years, as well as those who are seriously ill and severely wounded, are returning», - he noted.
Budanov also stated: «We continue to work. We expect good news soon. We are fighting for the return of every single person».
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, informed that among those released in the latest exchange are individuals previously considered missing.
"The stories of some of them are truly miraculous. They were considered missing, but even amid uncertainty, the state continued its search. And today they are with us”, - Klymenko noted.
The Coordination Headquarters also mentioned that the specificity of this exchange phase is that young soldiers have been successfully returned. The youngest defender is 24 years old and was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21.
It was also possible to free National Guardsmen who were guarding Chernobyl.
The oldest soldier returned to the homeland is 62 years old.
Among the released defenders are also officers.
In total, Ukrainians who defended the country in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv, and Sumy areas are returning home.
The freed defenders will undergo necessary medical examinations, receive assistance for physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the time spent in captivity, the Coordination Headquarters emphasized.
