Ukraine And Russian Federation Hold New Prisoner Exchange

• 19.06.2025, 15:12

It became known who was released.

Ukraine and Russia carried out a new prisoner exchange on Thursday, June 19. Most of the defenders who were returned had been in captivity since 2022.

This was reported by RBC-Ukraine with reference to Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Telegram.

"Our people are returning home from Russian captivity. These are soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022," the president said.

The defenders who fought in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhya, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions have returned home. These are representatives of the Navy, Airborne Assault Troops, the Defense Forces, as well as the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard of Ukraine.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War specified that a group of seriously ill defenders were released from Russian captivity. The warriors have wounds and significant health problems.

"Every Defender released today has severe medical diagnoses and illnesses as a result of their wounds and captivity. Many have significant weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and digestive problems," the Coordstaff reported.

The majority of the released warriors had been in captivity for more than three years. A significant portion of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol. All released today are representatives of the rank and file.

Ombudsman for Human Rights Dmitry Lubinets noted that the oldest released is 63 years old.

There is also a defender among the released who has a birthday today. He turned 45 years old.