On Wednesday, August 19, Ukraine held the first stage of the next prisoner exchange. 103 Ukrainian servicemen were returned from Russian captivity, most of whom are wounded or seriously ill. This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the PromPolitInform portal reports.
The exchange was conducted by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on behalf of the President of Ukraine. The released soldiers were met on their native land by the Head of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Lieutenant General Oleg Ivashchenko.
Among the released are soldiers, sergeants and officers of various components of the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine. In particular, servicemen of the Naval Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, National Guard of Ukraine and State Border Service.
The youngest released serviceman was born in 2000. The oldest is 59 years old.
According to Oleg Ivashchenko, the negotiation process on the return of Ukrainians from Russian captivity remains difficult. He emphasized that Ukraine is using all available mechanisms to release its citizens.
“The negotiation process is difficult, but we are using all mechanisms to return as many of our prisoners from Russian captivity as possible each time, including the seriously ill, wounded, and those who have been in captivity since 2022,” said the head of the Coordination Headquarters.
“We continue to work to return all Ukrainians from captivity,” Ivashchenko said.
The GUR reported that all released defenders will receive the necessary medical and psychological assistance. They are also provided with state payments.
