A new large-scale prisoner exchange took place in Ukraine: defenders who had long been held in Russian captivity returned home, including many severely wounded, seriously ill, and young servicemen.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Major Prisoner Exchange: Process Details
Today, June 14, another stage of the major prisoner exchange in the category of “wounded and seriously ill” was conducted in accordance with the agreements reached in Istanbul. The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, acting on behalf of the President of Ukraine, returned defenders who were injured or have serious health issues during their captivity back to their homeland.
The majority of the released Ukrainian servicemen are officers, many of whom are young people under the age of 25. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters.
Representatives from various units returned to Ukraine: the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including airborne assault troops, the Navy, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the State Border Guard Service, National Guard, and State Special Transport Service.
Among the Released Are Defenders of Mariupol and Missing Persons
The vast majority of the released defenders had been in captivity since 2022, and a significant portion of them fell into enemy hands during the heroic defense of Mariupol. The warriors returning home participated in battles in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Kursk directions.
After their release, the soldiers will undergo necessary medical examinations, receive assistance with physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the time spent in captivity.
“We must definitely free everyone, and we are working towards that so that no one is left to the enemy. Thank you to everyone who helps.”
As noted by the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, the oldest among those returned is 63 years old, while the youngest is 21. Among the released are also those who were previously considered missing.
The next stage of the release of Ukrainian captives is planned to take place soon.