The next stage of the large prisoner exchange took place according to the agreements in Istanbul
Military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including representatives of the Naval Forces, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as fighters of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service, have returned to their native land.
The vast majority of the defenders released today had been held in captivity for more than three years. A significant portion of them were taken prisoner during the defense of Mariupol.
The specifics of today's exchange stage are that we managed to return young warriors home. The youngest defender is 24 years old and was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21. We also managed to free National Guard soldiers who were guarding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant from captivity.
