Another prisoner exchange returns long-held and missing Ukrainians

"The next stage of the exchange within the Istanbul agreements: young people, wounded and seriously ill defenders are returning home. The peculiarity of this exchange is that we managed to return the defenders who were sentenced to long terms of imprisonment by Russia," noted Lubinets.

The vast majority of those released were captured in 2022.

He added that the soldiers, who were considered missing, are also returning home.

"This exchange is the result of a large-scale work of government agencies that are part of the Coordination Center for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The process is ongoing on the instructions of the President of Ukraine," added the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights.

Prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia

During the first round of talks in Istanbul on May 16, Ukraine and Russia agreed on a large-scale exchange of prisoners in the 1,000-for-1,000 format. It took place in three stages from May 23 to May 25.

Following the second round of negotiations in Türkiye on June 2, the parties agreed to a new large-scale exchange. They agreed to exchange seriously wounded and seriously ill soldiers, as well as all prisoners aged 18 to 25, in an all-for-all format.

Before today's exchange, several new exchanges were conducted under the new agreements. During the previous one, soldiers of the Land Forces, the Special Forces, the Airborne Forces, the Unmanned Systems Forces, as well as the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard, returned home.

Today, on July 4, Ukraine and Russia conducted another round of prisoner exchange. It was the eighth in a row as part of the June agreements in Istanbul.