A combined prisoner exchange took place today. 185 military personnel and 20 Ukrainian civilians were released from Russian captivity.
This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
It is noted that some were exchanged in accordance with the agreements in Istanbul, and some as part of the 69th exchange.
"Servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are returning home, including representatives of the Navy, Land Forces, Territorial Defence Forces, Airborne Forces, as well as the National Guard and the State Border Service. In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also released. The released servicemen defended the country in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy and Chernihiv regions," the statement said.
Among those freed are defenders of Mariupol. National Guard soldiers who were captured while guarding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant are also returning home.
The youngest freed defender is 26 years old, the oldest is 59. Almost all of them had been in captivity since 2022.
Those freed from captivity will undergo a full medical examination, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation assistance, and all payments provided for by the state.
As reported, Ukraine is trying to free another 1,000 people from Russian captivity, and work is currently underway on the lists.