During a recent combined exchange, Ukraine successfully brought back its military personnel and civilians. This exchange, which occurred on Independence Day, was carried out at the behest of the President of Ukraine. According to agreements made in Istanbul, Ukrainian military personnel returned home, while eight civilians were freed in the context of the 68th exchange.

The released soldiers represent nearly all branches of defense forces: airborne, air, naval, as well as National Guard and State Border Service personnel. Most of those released had spent over three years in captivity.

The servicemen who returned today defended various regions, including Mariupol, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy, as well as guarding the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Among the returnees are journalists Dmytro Khilyuk and Mark Kaliush, who were unlawfully detained by the occupiers in 2022 and 2023.

Also among the freed civilians is medic Serhiy Kovalov from the “Hospitallers” battalion, who saved lives during the siege at the “Azovstal” plant. The former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolayenko, who refused to cooperate with the occupiers, is also returning home.

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

We sincerely thank all involved structures and organizations for their coordinated efforts aimed at the liberation of our citizens. The Coordination Headquarters continues to work on searching, documenting, and returning each person held in Russian captivity.