Ukraine returned seriously ill defenders from captivity
This is reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"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 noted.
In the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, it was clarified that this is a new stage of exchanging seriously ill and severely wounded fighters.
"Every defender released today has serious medical diagnoses and illnesses as a result of injuries and captivity. Many have significant weight loss, dystrophy, ulcers, vision problems, musculoskeletal issues, cardiovascular diseases, and digestive problems," the statement reads.
As part of the agreements, servicemen of the Armed Forces, including representatives of the Naval Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard of Ukraine, have returned home.
The majority of the released soldiers had been in captivity for over 3 years. A significant part of them was captured during the defense of Mariupol. The freed defenders fought in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv regions, as well as in Zaporizhzhia and Kyiv regions.
