How the new prisoner exchange with Russia took place: exclusive video from the SBU

Almost all of those released require medical care and long-term rehabilitation.

The returned military personnel include Mariupol defenders, sailors, border guards and 10 officers. In total, the exchange covered 33 military personnel and 51 civilians.

The Security Service of Ukraine noted that among the released civilians are people who were held by the Russians since 2014, 2016 and 2017. One of them spent 4013 days in captivity - since 2014. They also managed to return three women from Donetsk and Luhansk regions, including a primary school teacher who was imprisoned in 2019.

The Coordination Headquarters emphasised that this exchange was special because it freed Ukrainians who were illegally detained even before the full-scale war started and sentenced to long terms - from 10 to 18 years in prison.

The exchange operation took place with the participation of the Joint Centre for the Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War, the Coordination Headquarters and other relevant structures.