The next stage of the large prisoner exchange took place

Defenders under the age of 25, as well as those who were wounded and have health problems, were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (CHPOW), servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including representatives of the Navy, Army, Airborne Forces, and the Special Forces, as well as soldiers of the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service, have returned to their homeland.

"The overwhelming majority of the released defenders were held in captivity for more than three years. A significant number of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol," the statement said.

The specificity of today's exchange is that young soldiers were brought home. The youngest defender is 24 years old and was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21. The oldest defender who was returned to his homeland is 62 years old.

We also managed to free from captivity the National Guardsmen who guarded the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. There are officers among the released Defenders today.

In general, Ukrainians who defended the country in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv and Sumy sectors are returning home.

"The liberated defenders will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire period of captivity," the headquarters said, assuring that they continue to work and the next stage of the release of Ukrainian prisoners will be held soon.

Earlier, during the next stage of a large prisoner exchange, "wounded and seriously ill" prisoners returned home. The vast majority of the released defenders had been in captivity since 2022. Many of them were captured during the defense of Mariupol. Most of the released defenders are officers. Also, some of the liberated are under 25 years old.

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