As part of the Istanbul agreements, Ukraine brought back another group of defenders from Russian captivity on 26 June.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter); Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War; video by Office of Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner

Quote from Zelenskyy:"We are continuing the exchanges and another stage has taken place. Today, warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service are returning home. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022. We are doing everything possible to find each person, to verify the information on every name. We must bring all our people home. I thank everyone who is helping us in this effort."

Details: The Coordination Headquarters stated that on Thursday, a group of defenders under the age of 25 was brought back, along with servicemen who had sustained injuries and are suffering from health issues.

The servicemen brought back to Ukraine on 26 June. 

Photo: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

The majority of the released defenders had been held in captivity for over three years. Many of them were taken prisoner during the defence of Mariupol.

A distinctive feature of this stage of the exchange is the return of young soldiers. The youngest defender is 24 years old and was captured during the defence of Mariupol in April 2022, when he was just 21.

Photo: Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War

Also among those freed were National Guardsmen who had been defending the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

The oldest released defender is 62 years old.

Among the servicemen released on 26 June are officers.

In total, the exchange brought home Ukrainian defenders who had served on the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv and Sumy fronts.

"The next stage of freeing Ukrainian POWs will take place soon," the Coordination Headquarters stated.

As emphasised by the Coordination Headquarters, for security reasons, the exact number of persons released will be announced after the exchange process is complete.

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