Ukraine and Russia have completed the third stage of a large-scale prisoner exchange in the '1000 for 1000' format. As a result of the operation, 160 Ukrainian citizens held in Russian captivity have returned home. This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in his Telegram channel.
Who returned home
Among the freed are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, employees of the State Special Transport Service, National Guard fighters, and border guards. All of them were taken captive back in 2022. Special attention was paid to the defenders of Mariupol: among those returned are 115 people who fought for the city and 'Azovstal'.
The returned fighters defended key directions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy. The age of the freed ranged from 26 to 66 years. Among them were 58 officers, as well as soldiers and sergeants.
Support and rehabilitation
The Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Exchange issues confirmed that all freed individuals will receive comprehensive support: medical examinations, treatment, cash payments, document restoration, and social rehabilitation. This is an important part of the process of returning to normal life after prolonged captivity.
History of previous exchanges
This exchange became the third in a series of major deals. The second stage took place on June 5 — then 185 military personnel and one civilian were released from captivity. The first exchange took place on May 15: more than 200 people returned home, most of whom were also in captivity since 2022.
Kyiv's position
President Zelenskyy emphasized that the work on returning all prisoners continues. 'We remember everyone who is in captivity. We check every surname. Everyone must return — both military and civilians,' he stated. Earlier, he proposed to Putin the format of an exchange 'all for all' and insisted on clear steps to return children and adults illegally taken to the Russian Federation.
In the morning, the head of the President's Office, Kyrylo Budanov, announced this exchange, noting that it should take place in the coming days. Now it has already been completed, and the country is waiting for new results of negotiations.