Ukraine and Russia on Thursday exchanged more prisoners of war on Thursday in the fifth swap held under the Istanbul agreement.
Announcing the prisoner swap, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said the returned hostages include members of Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service, most of whom had been held captive since the start of Russia’s full-fledged invasion in 2022.
"We are working to bring our people back. I thank everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free every single one of them," Zelenskiy stressed. They have fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kyiv regions and were non-commissioned officers. Among the returned hostages are wounded servicemen who are in need of medical treatment. The oldest of the released captives was 63 years old.
"Every defender released today has serious medical diagnoses and illnesses resulting from their injuries and captivity," the Coordination Headquarters overseeing the returns of prisoners of war said.
Russia's Defense Ministry also confirmed a prisoner exchange with Ukraine, without specifying the number of soldiers involved.
The Istanbul peace talks between Russian and Ukrainian delegations were held in two stages in May and June and stipulated the return of 6,000 Ukrainian service members and citizens.
