During a new combined exchange, Ukraine successfully brought back both military personnel and civilians. On the occasion of Independence Day, the President of Ukraine organized another prisoner exchange. According to agreements made in Istanbul, Ukrainian soldiers returned home, and as part of the 68th exchange, eight civilian citizens were also freed. The released soldiers represent various branches of the armed forces: airborne, air, naval, as well as territorial defense, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. All the freed defenders belong to the ranks of privates and sergeants, most of whom spent over three years in captivity.
The servicemen who returned today defended the cities of Mariupol and the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy, as well as safeguarded the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Many of those freed will reunite with their families, having fallen into enemy hands in temporarily occupied territories, including Crimea.
Notably, two Ukrainian journalists, Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush, have also gained their freedom. They were unlawfully detained by the occupiers in 2022 and 2023. Among the released civilians is also medic Serhii Kovalov from the “Hospitallers” battalion, who saved the lives of defenders and civilians during the siege of the “Azovstal” plant. The former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who refused to cooperate with the occupiers, is also returning home.
We express our gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for their assistance in facilitating the return of Ukrainian civilians. The freed individuals will receive comprehensive medical care, including medical examinations and treatment. Additionally, they will be entitled to government payments and will undergo rehabilitation and reintegration into society after prolonged isolation in Russian captivity.
We sincerely thank all involved structures and organizations for their coordinated efforts aimed at freeing our citizens. The Coordinating Headquarters continues its work to search for, document, and bring back everyone who remains in Russian captivity.
