President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced the return of another group of Ukrainian defenders from Russian captivity.
According to the President, most of the soldiers had been held prisoner since 2022.
“Our people are coming home from Russian captivity. These are warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022. They are defenders of Ukraine who fought in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Kyiv regions. We are working on bringing all our people back. I thank everyone who helps make these exchanges possible,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
All Ukrainian soldiers released from Russian captivity today, June 19, are from the ranks of enlisted and non-commissioned personnel and suffer from severe medical conditions and illnesses, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has reported.
“Today, another stage of the large-scale prisoner exchange took place under the ‘seriously ill and wounded’ category, in accordance with the agreements reached in Istanbul. By order of the President of Ukraine, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War secured the release of a group of defenders suffering from injuries and significant health issues,” the statement reads.
The soldiers who returned home include servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — notably from the Navy, the Air Assault Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces — as well as the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard of Ukraine.
According to the Coordination Headquarters, each of the freed defenders has serious medical diagnoses and illnesses resulting from injuries and the conditions of captivity. Many suffer from extreme weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive issues.
Most of the released soldiers had been held in captivity for more than three years. A significant portion of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol.
The freed defenders will undergo comprehensive medical examinations, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation, and will be granted all payments due for the entire duration of their captivity.
The Coordination Headquarters continues its work and is already preparing the next stage of prisoner exchange.
