The ninth stage of the prisoner exchange took place: photos, video
23 July 23:44
The ninth stage of the prisoner exchange, which was agreed upon during the Istanbul talks, has taken place. Severely wounded and seriously ill Ukrainian soldiers, many of whom had been in Russian captivity for more than three years, are returning home. This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
“Today is the ninth stage of the exchange agreed upon in Istanbul. Seriously ill and severely wounded defenders are returning home,” the head of state said.
According to Zelenskyy, in general, over a thousand Ukrainians have been returned during all the stages of the exchange achieved within the Istanbul format.
“We can already talk about the details – over all stages of the latest Istanbul agreements, we managed to return more than 1,000 of our people. For thousands of families, it is a joy to hug their loved ones again. I am grateful to everyone who worked on this,” the President noted.
The returned soldiers defended Ukraine in different parts of the frontline – from Donbas to the south. All the discharged will be provided with necessary medical care and support.
“The soldiers who are returning today defended Ukraine in various frontline areas. A significant number of them were held in captivity for more than three years. All of them will receive the necessary support and medical care,” Zelenskyy emphasized.
The President emphasized that the return of Ukrainians from enemy captivity is an absolute priority for the state, and the exchanges will continue.
“It is important that the exchanges continue and our people return home. I thank everyone who continues this crucial work. Returning all our people is a priority for the state. And we will continue all efforts to ensure that all our people return from captivity,” the President assured.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that the liberated servicemen include servicemen of the Armed Forces, in particular from the Airborne Forces, Navy, and the Theater of Operations, as well as fighters of the State Border Guard Service, National Guard, and National Police of Ukraine.
The Coordination Headquarters noted that in addition to soldiers and non-commissioned officers, officers were also released.
Some of the soldiers released today were captured during the defense of Mariupol and spent more than 3 years in captivity. Also, the last of the defenders of Zmeinyi Island, a soldier of the State Border Guard Service, is returning from captivity.
The youngest released defender is 27 years old, the oldest is 66 years old.
In total, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv sectors have been returned to their homeland.
“The released defenders will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive assistance in physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire period of captivity,” the Coordination Center summarized.
