Istanbul agreements. Ukraine and Russia hold the ninth stage of prisoner exchange – photos

On Wednesday, July 23, the ninth stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place within the framework of the Istanbul agreements. This was reported by to by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

On this day, severely wounded and seriously injured defenders return home.

"We can already talk about the details – over all the stages of the latest Istanbul agreements, we managed to return more than 1,000 of our people. For thousands of families, it is a joy to hug their loved ones again. I thank everyone who worked on this," the President wrote.

The President clarified that the servicemen returning today defended Ukraine on different frontlines. A significant number were held in captivity for more than three years.

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported to that this time they managed to release servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard and the National Police.

In addition to soldiers and non-commissioned officers, officers were also released. Some of the released soldiers were captured during the defense of Mariupol.

The last of the defenders of Zmeinyi Island, a soldier of the State Border Guard Service, returns from captivity. The youngest released was 27 years old, the oldest was 66 years old.

All in all, Ukrainians who fought in the Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv sectors were returned home.

• On July 22, Zelenskyy said that Ukraine expects several exchanges of military and civilian prisoners, which Kyiv and Moscow agreed to during the second round of talks in Turkey in June.
• On July 23, the president said that preparations for a new stage of the prisoner exchange are going on all day.