On July 4, Head of State Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Ukraine had rescued another group of defenders and civilians from captivity. This happened as part of the continuation of exchanges under the “Istanbul Agreements.”
Points of attention
- The exchange signifies a step towards reuniting Ukrainian defenders who had been held captive since 2012 in various regions like Donetsk, Mariupol, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Kherson.
- Efforts for the release of prisoners were led by President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, emphasizing the government's commitment to bringing its people back home.
Ukraine continues to rescue its citizens from Russian captivity
Our people are at home. Most of them have been in Russian captivity since 2022. Today, our defenders who defended Ukraine in different regions are returning: Donetsk and Mariupol regions, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson regions. These are soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Service, the State Special Transport Service. As well as civilians.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
President of Ukraine
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, on the instructions of Volodymyr Zelensky, returned a group of Oborontsi from the category of "wounded and seriously ill", as well as "under 25 years old" from Russian captivity.
It is worth noting that the youngest released defender was only 20 years old, the oldest was 59 years old.
Moreover, it is indicated that in addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also released.
Among those released today are again the Defenders of Mariupol, who had been held captive since 2022. The vast majority of those released had been in captivity for over 3 years.
Today, illegally convicted Oborontsy members and Ukrainian civilians deprived of their personal freedom were released from Russian captivity.
What is important to understand is that those rescued from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive assistance with physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire time they were in captivity.
Today's exchange stage took place with the participation of the Head of the Coordination Staff, Head of the Military Development Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Lieutenant General Kyrylo Budanov.
