Military and Civilian Exchange: A New Dawn for Ukraine

Ukraine has successfully completed a new phase of exchange, returning both military personnel and civilians. On the festive occasion of Independence Day, under the President's initiative, yet another prisoner exchange took place. According to agreements, military personnel returned to Ukraine, while eight Ukrainian civilians were also freed as part of the 68th exchange. Among the released soldiers are representatives from various defense units: airborne, air force, navy, territorial defense, national guard, and border guards. Most of them have spent over three years in captivity.

The returning servicemen defended various strategic fronts, including Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy, as well as safeguarding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Among the liberated are journalists Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush, who were unlawfully detained in 2022 and 2023. Included in the civilian returns is medic Serhiy Kovalov from the "Hospitallers" battalion, who saved lives during the siege at the "Azovstal" plant. Former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who refused to collaborate with the occupiers, is also returning home.

We express our gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for their assistance in organizing the return of our citizens. All released individuals will receive necessary medical care, undergo examinations and treatments, as well as state payments, rehabilitation, and support for reintegration after their prolonged captivity in Russian hands.

We thank everyone involved in the release process. The coordination headquarters continues to work on the search and return of every Ukrainian remaining in Russian captivity.