Ukraine Returns More Defenders From Russian Captivity in Forth Exchange This Week

Ukraine and Russia carried out their fourth prisoner of war exchange in a single week, repatriating another group of the most vulnerable detainees, including the severely wounded, critically ill and young servicemen, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced On June 14.

This operation stems from the Istanbul agreement on June 2, under which negotiators agreed to exchange all wounded, ill and personnel aged 18 to 25, prioritizing medical need over headcounts.

The latest cohort included servicemen from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard, Border Guard Service and State Special Transport Service, with returnees drawn from front-line sectors in Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy and Russia’s Kursk region.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, all returning servicemen will undergo thorough medical examinations, receive comprehensive psychological support and be granted state compensation for their time in captivity.

Earlier, on June 12, Ukraine and Russia carried out the third phase of their all-for-all prisoner exchange, repatriating another group of severely wounded combatants under the same Istanbul agreement.