New prisoner exchange. Most defenders had been in captivity for over two years

On the afternoon of June 20, prisoners of war returned to Ukraine, most of whom had been in Russian captivity for over two years, some since 2022.

This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

These are the defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions. Now at home, in particular, are representatives of the Naval Forces, Land Forces, Territorial Defense, Airborne Assault Forces, Unmanned Systems Forces, Border Guard, and National Guard.

All the defenders liberated on Friday are soldiers and non-commissioned officers. They have injuries or serious diagnoses. Among them are epilepsy, hypertension, ischemic heart disease, vision problems, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, hernias, and chronic digestive diseases. Many of the liberated ones were diagnosed with weight loss.

All soldiers will be taken to medical centers for necessary examinations, further treatment and medical rehabilitation. The Coordination Headquarters emphasized that the exchanges within the framework of the Istanbul Agreements are ongoing. The exact number of released people will be announced after all stages are completed.

• A large exchange in several stages was agreed upon at negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on June 2. It was there that the parties decided to focus on exchanges in the "all-for-all" format by categories: seriously wounded and seriously ill, and young people aged 18 to 25.
• Several stages of prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place — June 9, 10, 12,14, and 19.

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