24 Aug 2025, 17:35
Ukraine conducts prisoner swap with Russia on August 24
- The 68th prisoner swap took place on August 24.
- Military personnel and civilians were returned from captivity.
- Released Ukrainians receive medical assistance and rehabilitation.
This was reported by Ukrayinska Pravda, RBC Ukraine.
On August 24, the day of Ukraine's Independence, the 68th prisoner swap took place between Ukraine and Russia. According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, military servicemen and civilians who had been in captivity since 2022 returned to Ukraine.
As part of the agreement reached in Istanbul, a total of Ukrainian servicemen from various branches of the military were returned: Airborne Forces, Marine Corps, Territorial Defense Forces, National Guard, and State Border Service. Most of them had been in captivity for over three years.
Among the released military personnel are defenders of Mariupol and Chornobyl AES, as well as fighters who were stationed on the front lines of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy. Also, two Ukrainian journalists returned to Ukraine — Dmytro Khyliuk and Mark Kaliush, who had been illegally detained in Russian captivity.
Among the released civilians are Sergey Kovalev, a medic from the "Hospitallers" unit, and Volodymyr Mykolaienko, a former mayor of Kherson, who had been cooperating with the Russians.
The Ukrainian government expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for assistance in organizing the release of the civilians.
According to the latest data, under the agreements made in Istanbul, over 1000 Ukrainians have returned home during the last swaps.
Tags: Ukraine/Russia/Politics