New prisoner swap completed: Who was returned to Ukraine (photos)
On July 23, Ukraine and Russia conducted the ninth stage of the prisoner swap. In total, over 1,000 defenders have been brought home across these nine stages.
Follow us on Google
Prisoner swap on July 23 / © Volodymyr Zelenskyy
On Wednesday, July 23, another prisoner swap took place between Ukraine and the aggressor, Russia.
This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
According to the Head of State, this was the ninth stage of the swap agreed upon in Istanbul. Seriously ill and severely wounded defenders are returning home.
«The warriors returning today defended Ukraine on various frontlines. A significant number have been in captivity for over three years. All will receive the necessary support and medical care,» Zelenskyy said.
The President reported that, across all stages of the recent Istanbul agreements, over 1,000 of our people have been returned. He did not specify how many fighters were returned specifically today.
Russian sources mentioned a figure of «250 for 250,» but the Ukrainian side did not comment on this data.
Who was freed
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified that among those released today are servicemen from:
The Armed Forces of Ukraine, including units of the Air Assault Forces, Navy, and Territorial Defense Forces;
The State Border Guard Service;
The National Guard;
The National Police.
In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also freed.
Some of the warriors released today were captured during the defense of Mariupol and spent over three years in captivity.
Additionally, the last defender of Snake Island, a member of the State Border Guard Service, is returning from captivity.
The youngest freed defender is 27 years old, while the oldest is 66.
In total, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions have returned to their homeland.