As part of the 9th prisoner exchange from the Russian Federation, seriously ill and seriously wounded defenders returned to Ukraine (video)
Ukraine and Russia carried out the ninth stage of the exchange of prisoners of war, agreed upon during the negotiations in Istanbul. Wounded and seriously ill defenders return to Ukraine. About this stated President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
“Today, the ninth stage of the exchange, which was agreed upon in Istanbul, took place. Seriously ill and seriously wounded defenders are returning home. We can already talk about the details – during all stages of the latest Istanbul agreements, more than 1,000 of our people were returned. For thousands of families, it is a joy to hug their loved ones again. Thank you to everyone who worked on this.” – said the head of state.
Zelenskyi noted that the returning servicemen defended Ukraine at various areas of the front. Many of them were in captivity for more than three years. All of them will receive appropriate medical care and support.
“It is important that exchanges continue and our people return home. Thank you to everyone who continues this important work. Returning all our people is a priority for the state. And we will continue all efforts to ensure that all our people return from captivity.” Zelensky emphasized.
Among those released are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular from units of the Airborne Assault Forces, the Naval Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces, as well as soldiers of the State Border Service, the National Guard, and the National Police. In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also returned. Some of the freed soldiers were captured during the defense of Mariupol and spent more than three years in captivity.
“The last of the Defenders of Zmiiny Island is returning from captivity – a fighter of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. The youngest freed defender turned 27 years old, the oldest – 66 years old. In general, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv directions have been returned to their native land”, — clarified in the Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
