19 August 2026

Ukraine carried out a prisoner exchange; defenders from the Kherson region have returned home

(Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy/Facebook)

Another prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia. 103 Ukrainian soldiers returned home.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, those released include soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, and the National Guard.

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Some of them took part in the defense of Mariupol and also fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Dnipro, and Sumy regions.


Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that the vast majority of those returned—99%—are privates and sergeants. The oldest is 59 years old, and the youngest is 26. Two of the defenders celebrated their birthdays yesterday—they turned 34 and 45. Among those returned are also individuals who were seriously wounded or seriously ill. 

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Ірина Глухова

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