As reported by the online media Suspilne.
On June 19, the fifth stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place, resulting from negotiations held in Istanbul on June 2. During this exchange, it was revealed that the released soldiers suffer from serious illnesses, including gangrene and tuberculosis. This was reported by Andriy Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner of War Affairs.
This time, severely ill and seriously wounded Ukrainian soldiers were returned from captivity, mostly privates and sergeants. The youngest among them is 42 years old. Yusov noted that most of those released had been held captive since 2022, and a significant number of them are defenders of Mariupol.
“There is decay, there is gangrene, there is tuberculosis, there are many other things and words that should not be heard in the modern world. But this is the reality.”
According to Yusov, some soldiers were found to have severe diagnoses and injuries resulting from inadequate detention conditions and lack of treatment. All those released are receiving the necessary medical care.
Yusov also added that exchanges continue, and within the framework of the Istanbul agreements, three categories are prioritized: severely ill, seriously wounded, and young defenders under 25 years old.
Previous exchanges under the Istanbul agreements
On June 2, during negotiations in Istanbul, representatives of Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on an exchange in a 1000-for-1000 format. Additionally, the parties agreed on an exchange of another 200 for 200 prisoners of war. This was the second instance of a 1000-for-1000 exchange. It was also agreed to repatriate 6,000 bodies of fallen soldiers from each side.
On June 7, Russia accused Ukraine of postponing the exchange indefinitely. However, the Coordination Headquarters denied these claims, emphasizing that Russia’s statements about the start of returning bodies or repatriation measures were not true.
On June 9, Ukraine and Russia conducted the first stage of the prisoner exchange agreed upon in Istanbul on June 2. At that time, soldiers under 25 years old were returned home.
On June 10, the first stage of exchanging seriously wounded and severely ill prisoners of war took place, followed by the second stage on June 12 and the third on June 14. The number of returned soldiers is not disclosed for security reasons and will be announced at the end of the exchange.
On June 11, 1,212 bodies of fallen Ukrainian servicemen were repatriated. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Moscow received 27 bodies. It is known that during the Istanbul negotiations, the parties agreed on repatriation in a “6,000-for-6,000” format.
On June 16, another 1,245 bodies of the fallen were returned to Ukraine. The Coordination Headquarters reported that the repatriation part of the Istanbul agreements has been completed. In total, 6,057 bodies have been returned under these agreements.
We recommend paying attention to:
- Recent prisoner exchanges and repatriation of fallen soldiers between Ukraine and Russia continue following Istanbul negotiations, with ongoing efforts to finalize lists and dates.
- The second stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on June 9, involving severely wounded soldiers, following agreements made in Istanbul. Details remain confidential for security reasons.
- Ukraine and Russia conducted a new prisoner exchange phase following Istanbul talks, focusing on severely ill and wounded soldiers, with repatriation of over 6,000 fallen soldiers completed.
