Ukraine and Russia hold new stage of prisoner exchange: who was returned

On Tuesday, 10 June, another prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place. Ukrainian servicemen who had been seriously injured were released. The exchange took place on the basis of the agreements reached on 2 June in Istanbul. This was reported by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky in his Telegram channel.

We continue to return our people according to the agreements reached in Istanbul. Today the first stage of the return of seriously wounded and wounded Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity took place. All of them are in need of urgent medical care. This is a significant humanitarian step," the head of state said.

According to Zelenskyy, among those released are representatives of various units of the Ukrainian Defence and Security Forces: the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the Border Guard Service and the State Special Transport Service.

The exchanges should continue. We are making every effort to find and return everyone who is in captivity. I am grateful to everyone who contributes to this process," he added.

Who has returned home

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war, servicemen from different branches of the armed forces have returned home: the Navy, Army, Territorial Defence, Airborne Assault Troops, Security Service, Border Service, National Guard and State Special Transport Service.

Among those released there are defenders of Mariupol who were in captivity for more than three years. In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers also returned home.

All the returned defenders have serious injuries and diseases - amputations, vision problems, infections, abscesses, shrapnel wounds, chronic diseases. Some have also been diagnosed with hepatitis and tuberculosis.

The released warriors will be sent to medical centres for full examination, treatment and rehabilitation. They will be provided with all necessary assistance, their documents will be restored and they will be paid for the time spent in captivity.

First footage from the exchange

The Ukrainian parliamentary commissioner for human rights, Dmytro Lubinets, has published videos taken during the exchange. On one of the videos, the released defence counsel says: "Ukraine has not forgotten about us".

We shall remind you that the second round of negotiations between the Ukrainian and Russian delegations took place in Istanbul on 2 June. The parties agreed to exchange according to the formula "all for all", first of all - seriously wounded, sick and young servicemen aged 18 to 25 years.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Rustem Umerov noted that the priority in this exchange is given to the categories of prisoners rather than their numbers.

For his part, President Zelenskyy said that there were plans for a large-scale exchange according to the "1,000 for 1,000" formula, as well as a possible "200 for 200" exchange. At the same time, the Ukrainian side insists on the transfer of lists and mandatory verification to avoid "blind" exchanges.