Ukraine and the Russian Federation have held another round of prisoner exchange as part of the agreements reached in Istanbul during the second round of talks. The parties today, June 12, returned home groups of wounded and seriously injured fighters.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, today soldiers of our army, National Guard, and border guards were returned home. All of them need treatment, and, as the head of state noted, they will definitely be provided with the necessary assistance. This is the second stage of the return of seriously wounded and seriously ill soldiers.
"We continue to work to return everyone from Russian captivity. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. So that everyone can be home, in Ukraine," — Zelensky wrote.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that a group of defenders from the category of "seriously wounded and seriously ill" was returned from Russian captivity today.
Among those returned home are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the Ukrainian Navy, the Air Force, the Ukrainian Border Guard, the Ukrainian Border Guard, as well as the State Border Service and the National Guard of Ukraine.
Among those released today are defenders of Mariupol who were held captive for over three years. All of the liberated defenders are men, privates and non-commissioned officers.
Some of the Ukrainian soldiers released today were considered missing.
In general, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Luhansk directions are returning home.
"The defenders released from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive assistance with physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire time they were in captivity," — noted in the Coordination Headquarters.
They added that today's exchange is part of a larger exchange in the categories of servicemen under the age of 25, as well as the seriously wounded and seriously ill.
"The Coordination Headquarters continues its work and the next stage of the release of Ukrainian defenders will be carried out in the near future," — the Coordination Headquarters concluded.
According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, the oldest person released from captivity is 59 years old, and the youngest is 22.
"The returnees were held captive from the first days of the full-scale invasion. Among the returnees are those who were considered missing," — he added.
