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  • ✇Euromaidan Press
  • New major Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap prioritizes ill, wounded soldiers over numbers
    Ukraine returned a group of severely wounded and seriously ill military personnel from Russian captivity as part of an ongoing major prisoner exchange program negotiated during Istanbul talks on 2 June. The exchange forms part of a broader agreement between Ukraine and Russia focusing on specific prisoner categories rather than numerical parity and the exact number of returned soldiers was not specified. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky, however, revealed after the Istanbul meeting
     
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✇Euromaidan Press

New major Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap prioritizes ill, wounded soldiers over numbers

Par :Vira Kravchuk
12 juin 2025 à 13:29

Ukraine secures release of severely wounded prisoners of war on 12 June.

Ukraine returned a group of severely wounded and seriously ill military personnel from Russian captivity as part of an ongoing major prisoner exchange program negotiated during Istanbul talks on 2 June.

The exchange forms part of a broader agreement between Ukraine and Russia focusing on specific prisoner categories rather than numerical parity and the exact number of returned soldiers was not specified. Russian delegation head Vladimir Medinsky, however, revealed after the Istanbul meeting that Russia expects this new major exchange would follow a “1200 for 1200” format.
Ukrainian POWs are systematically tortured in Russian captivity and denied medical care, which constitutes a war crime. More than 95% of released Ukrainian POWs report experiencing torture, including physical beatings with metal rods, rebar and bricks, electrocution, forced nudity, and psychological abuse. In contrast, Ukrainian authorities provide the UN with unrestricted access to POW camps with Russian prisoners and maintain conditions compliant with humanitarian law.

Among the freed prisoners are defenders of Mariupol who spent more than three years in Russian captivity. All released individuals are male enlisted personnel and sergeants, with some previously classified as missing in action.

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) returned from Russian captivity on 12 June in a major prisoner exchange brokered in Istanbul on 2 June.
Photos: Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War and Zelenskyy on X

The returned personnel include service members from multiple branches of Ukraine’s armed forces, including the Airborne Assault Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces, and Territorial Defense Forces, as well as personnel from the State Border Guard Service and National Guard, according to the Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War.

“All need treatment, and they will definitely receive the necessary assistance,” Zelenskyy stated. “We continue working to bring everyone back from Russian captivity.”

Severely wounded and seriously ill Ukrainian defenders return from Russian captivity in a new prisoner exchange.

Some of them were held for over three years and some were previously classified as missing in action.

95% of Ukrainian soldiers released from Russian prisons… https://t.co/sN282Vjv9b

— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) June 12, 2025

The ages of the returned prisoners range from 22 to 59 years old, according to Ukrainian ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets. All freed personnel will undergo medical examinations and receive physical and psychological rehabilitation services, along with compensation payments for their time in captivity.

In a previous recent swap on 9 June, Ukraine returned captured defenders under 25 years of age, followed by wounded and ill military personnel the next day.

On 11 June, Ukraine repatriated the bodies of 1,212 fallen service members for forensic identification and return to families.

Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) returned from Russian captivity on 12 June in a major prisoner exchange brokered in Istanbul on 2 June.
Photos: Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of Prisoners of War
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