Budanov says that in future exchanges priority will be given to defenders of Azovstal, seriously wounded and women

The head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said that during future prisoner exchanges, priority will be given to the defenders of Azovstal, the seriously wounded, and women.

Budanov made the corresponding statement during a briefing following the results of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief Staff meeting.

According to him, at the Staff meeting, appropriate actions and the principle of work of the headquarters on the exchange of prisoners were agreed upon.

It is about the return of the seriously ill and seriously wounded, women and those who have been in captivity for a long time.

"The longer the person remains in captivity, the more we will work to return such a person," Budanov said.

He added that Ukraine would also make efforts to return civilians held captive by russia both after and before the start of a full-scale invasion.

Attention will also be paid to the Crimean Tatars and other groups "to whom we also pay attention."

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, today [August 15] it became known that the Security Service of Ukraine conducted an operation in the Kursk Oblast, as a result of which more than 100 soldiers of the russian army were captured.

We will remind, according to The Independent publication, since the beginning of the operation in the Kursk Oblast, about 2,000 russians have been captured by the Ukrainian military.