Today's prisoner swap was combined, Coordination Headquarters explains details
Photo: The prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia on October 2 was combined (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
The prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia that took place today, October 2, was combined. One part of it was in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, the other was the 69th exchange, said Petro Yatsenko, a representative of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
"This was a combined exchange. Part of it was in accordance with the Istanbul agreements, with the return of wounded, seriously ill, and young defenders under 25. And partly, this is the 69th exchange. In total, 185 of our defenders and 20 civilians were released," Yatsenko said.
He added that most of those freed from captivity will require long-term rehabilitation.
Prisoner exchange
On Thursday, October 2, Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange, returning 185 defenders home.
The released defenders included members of the Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service. They had defended Mariupol and Azovstal, as well as the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Most had been held captive since 2022.
Alongside the soldiers, 20 civilians were also released.
The freed defenders served in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions.
Among them were National Guard members who defended the Chornobyl plant at the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The youngest released defender is 26 years old, and the oldest is 59.
