A new exchange in Ukraine has successfully brought back both military personnel and civilians. On Independence Day, under the President's directive, a new stage of prisoner exchanges took place. According to agreements made in Istanbul, Ukrainian soldiers returned home, while eight civilians were liberated in the 68th exchange. The released individuals include representatives from various military branches: airborne, air force, navy, as well as territorial defense, national guard, and border guards. Most of them had been held captive for over three years.

Among the returning servicemen are those who defended Mariupol and the regions of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy. Some also provided security at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Families will also reunite with those who were captured in temporarily occupied territories, including Crimea.

Finally free are two Ukrainian journalists: Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush, who were unlawfully detained by the occupiers in 2022 and 2023. Among the released civilians is medic Serhii Kovalov from the “Hospitallers” battalion, who saved lives during the siege of the “Azovstal” plant. Former mayor of Kherson Volodymyr Mykolaienko, who refused to collaborate with the occupiers, has also returned home.

We express our gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for their assistance in organizing the return of Ukrainian civilians. The freed individuals will receive comprehensive medical care, including examinations and necessary treatments. They will also receive state benefits and undergo rehabilitation and reintegration into society after their long isolation.

We extend our sincere thanks to all involved structures and organizations for their coordinated efforts aimed at liberating our citizens. The coordination headquarters continues to work on finding, documenting, and returning each person still held captive in Russian captivity.