Ukraine carried out the ninth exchange after the agreements in Istanbul

Ukraine has carried out the ninth stage of the prisoner exchange with Russia after agreements reached at talks in Istanbul — seriously ill and seriously injured servicemen are returning home.

This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The returning soldiers fought on various fronts. Many of them were held captive for over three years.

Over all stages of the latest Istanbul agreements, more than 1,000 Ukrainians were returned.

Today, July 23, the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Territorial Army, Marine Corps, motorized and mechanized brigades, the National Guard, and the State Guard of Ukraine — defenders of the Donetsk region, including Mariupol, Sumy, and Kharkiv regions — were returned.

Several of the returned fighters were considered missing and were in search status.

The oldest of those released is 66 years old, the youngest is 27.

The defenders released from captivity will undergo a medical examination, receive assistance with physical and psychological rehabilitation, and all due payments for the entire time they were in captivity.

• 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 in the categories of “seriously wounded and seriously ill” and “youth from 18 to 25 years old”. The exchanges will continue, and the number of those returned from captivity will be revealed when the exchange process is completed.
• Several stages of prisoner exchanges in this format have already taken place — June 9, 10, 12,14, 19, 20, 26, and July 4.

For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.