Largest-ever Ukrainian-Russian prisoner swap comes under fire for lacking Azov fighters, civilians

Editor's note: This article has been updated to reflect comments from the Ukrainian Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

As Kyiv completed its largest prisoner exchange of the war on May 25, exchanging 1,000 Ukrainian POWs for 1,000 Russians, some spoke out on social media to criticize authorities for failing to return certain captives.

Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov National Guard Brigade, described the exchange as a "mockery" due to the lack of fighters from the Azov Brigade, in a post on Facebook.

In the past, Ukrainian authorities have said that Russia has pushed back against their requests to return Azov fighters as part of earlier exchanges.

Ukrainian society has rallied for captured Azov fighters who defended the Azovstal Steel Plant in Mariupol during the Russian siege of the port city in 2022. The battle, one of the most brutal of the entire war, is credited with buying time for the Ukrainian Armed Forces to prepare itself and receive international military aid against Russia's invasion during the initial phase of the war.

Azovstal defenders were ordered to surrender to the encircling Russian forces after nearly two months of constant bombardment of the besieged plant. While hundreds of these fighters have been released since 2022, hundreds more remain in captivity.

Prokopenko said that Ukraine needs to change its tactics, writing, "There are options, we just need to adapt and start looking for new ways and configurations. Because not a single Azov resident among 1,000 exchanged people is a shame for our entire state."

Separately, writer and journalist Stanislav Aseyev criticized the exchange on Facebook for failing to include civilians who have spent more than eight years in captivity.

"The list of hostages that I handed over to President (Volodymyr) Zelensky back in January 2020 has remained a list," Aseyev wrote.

"The vast majority of these people are in the 32nd maximum security colony in Makiivka, where they were taken after Isolation and from other prisons. Some of these people actively helped our special services," he added. "I don't know if there is anyone in the history of this war for 11 years who has been in prison longer," he added.

In response to the frustration seen on social media, Andriy Yusov, deputy head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, told Suspilne that the exchange was conducted on "mutual lists," with both Russia and Ukraine deciding which POWs they would return.

"Ukraine is fighting for every one of its citizens. We are working under extremely difficult conditions amid the full-scale invasion, and the Mariupol garrison remains one of the top priorities for repatriation," Yusov added.

Zelensky, following the exchange pledged to "bring back every single one of our people from Russian captivity."

Ukraine has long advocated for an "all-for-all" exchange, but Russia has so far rejected the proposal.

The three days of prisoner exchanges were negotiated by Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul on May 16th, during the first direct talks between the two countries in three years.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced on May 23 that Moscow will convey its peace terms to Kyiv immediately after the completion of the prisoner exchange.

While Moscow's list of conditions have yet to be revealed, Russia has repeatedly reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.