Ukraine's Security Service releases exclusive video of Independence Day prisoner swap
Photo: POW exchange on August 24 (Telegram)
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) released exclusive footage of a prisoner swap with Russia on August 24. Ukrainian civilians and military personnel, who had spent several years in Russian captivity, returned home.
"Today's swap is the result of the work of the Joint Center for the Coordination of the Search and Release of Prisoners of War, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, and other authorized bodies. They carried out the orders of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy," the statement said.
The SBU confirmed that, following the swap, military personnel from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service returned home. Many civilians were also freed. Among them were journalists held since 2022, a military medic, and the former mayor of Kherson.
Prisoner swap
Ukraine and Russia conducted another round of prisoner swap on August 24. The defenders returned home on Ukraine's Independence Day. Those freed included soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the Navy, as well as eight civilians who Russia had held since 2022 and 2023.
Last week, on August 14, Ukraine and Russia also carried out a prisoner swap. This took place ahead of a planned meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska. President Zelenskyy reported that 84 people returned home that day.
