Key developments on March 19: * Zelensky agrees to halt strikes on Russian energy infrastructure during call with Trump * US ownership of Ukraine's power plants would be 'best protection' of energy infrastructure, White House says * Ukraine brings home 175 prisoners of war in swap with Russia * Ukrainian drone strike halts operations
The released captives included members of the Navy, the Air Force, the Airborne Troops, the National Guard, the State Border Guard, the Territorial Defense Forces, and a police officer, according to the president.
Key developments on Jan. 1: * Russian drone attack kills 2, injures 6, damages central bank building in Kyiv * Russia has lost over 38,000 troops in Kursk Oblast, Syrskyi says * Ukraine has brought back 1,358 people from Russian captivity in 2024 * Zelensky says Trump 'willing, capable of achieving peace
Warning: This article contains descriptions of graphic scenes. For a moment, Oksana Latanska could not believe her eyes when she looked down at a cold, little body, gray from dust and ashes. It hardly resembled the little boy that she knew so well and whom she saw almost every weekend
Russian occupation authorities in Donetsk jailed nine Ukrainian soldiers captured after defending Mariupol to between 24 years and a life sentence, the city's exiled authorities reported on Dec. 11.
Key developments on Dec. 5: * Ukrainian forces regain control of Novyi Komar village in Donetsk Oblast * At least 6 Ukrainian mayors held captive by Russia, Zelensky says * Ukrainian forces to receive 30,000 DeepStrike drones in 2025 as part of Zelensky's resilience plan, minister says * 'There will be no Yalta-2
Zelensky confirmed that Yevhenii Matvieiev, the mayor of occupied Dniprorudne in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, was tortured to death in Russian captivity.
"If Mr. President is so confident in his influence over Putin, could he help free Azovstal defenders and all Ukrainians from Russian captivity right away? Time is of the essence," Ukrainian world boxing champion Oleksandr Usyk wrote on X.
The European Union was "appalled" by Victoria Roshchyna's death and demanded a "thorough and independent" investigation into the circumstances of her death, its External Service's spokesperson said in a statement on Oct. 11.
Ukrainian journalist Viktoriia Roshchyna, 27, was about to be released from Russian captivity and returned home, when the news of her death broke out on Oct. 10, shocking Ukraine and the world. Roshchyna disappeared in August 2023 while reporting in Russian-occupied territory. More than half a year later, Russia's Defense
The circumstances of Viktoria Roshchyna's death are still being confirmed, said Petro Yatsenko, a spokesperson of Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
Most Ukrainian soldiers who were released had never been visited by the Red Cross representatives while in Russian captivity, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said in July.
This article contains descriptions of physical and sexual violence, which may be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised. Forced nudity during “welcome beatings,” naked “crouch walking,” and gratuitous stripping and body cavity searches are but a few examples of the abuse Viktor Lakhno, 26, a former prisoner of
Key developments on Sept. 14, 15: * 103 Ukrainian POWs returned from Russian captivity, including 23 Azov fighters * At least 1 killed, 42 injured in Russian strike on apartment building in Kharkiv * Western aid not enough to equip 'even 4 out of 14' underarmed brigades needed on the front, Zelensky says
"The vast majority of those released are people who had been held (in captivity) since the first days of the war,” said Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets in a statement.
Key developments on Sept. 13: * 49 Ukrainians released from Russian captivity * Finland announces $130 million aid package for Ukraine * Russia's 'rapid' offensive in Kursk Oblast hasn't yet achieved 'serious' success, Zelensky says * Russia buys Western aircraft parts via intermediaries despite sanctions * ATACMS 'pointless' without ability to strike inside Russia, Zelensky
Ukraine brought back 49 Ukrainian defenders and civilians from Russian captivity on Sept. 13, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We must find a solution for all groups held by Russia: civilians, prisoners of war and children," said Andrii Yermak, who held an online meeting with Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly.
Azov Regiment commander Denys Prokopenko criticized the recent prisoner exchange, expressing disappointment that none of the Azov fighters, who have been in Russian captivity for over two years, were included.
Azov Brigade soldier Oleksandr Ishchenko died in Russian captivity due to a blunt force trauma to his chest, according to a forensic expert report, published by Azov deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar on Aug. 7.
The photo, which is circulating on social media, shows the body of a person with his head and limbs cut off. It is unknown when the photo was taken. The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify it.
More than 14,000 Ukrainian civilians are being held in Russian captivity, Ukraine's Chief Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on June 29.
Krystyna Liubashenko, the 35-year-old mother of two, was sentenced under the charges of "spreading disinformation about the war" and "taking part in a terrorist organization," the Russian independent media outlet wrote.
The defense of the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine's last stronghold during the Russian siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, remains one of the most heroic operations carried out by the Ukrainian soldiers to date. The plant was under constant Russian bombardment for nearly two months, and those stuck
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. While hiding from almost non-stop Russian bombardment in the dark and cold bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Dmytro Kozatskyi took his most famous and arguably most valuable photographs. He showed the world what it was
At least 32 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW), recently captured by Russia, have been executed between Dec. 1, 2023, and Feb. 29, a report by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said on March 26.
Two boys aged 13 and 15 and their adoptive family were brought from Russian captivity, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin wrote on his Telegram channel on March 20.
President Volodymyr Zelensky passed to his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan the list of Ukrainian citizens, including Crimean Tatars, captured by Russia after their meeting on March 8 in Istanbul.
Russia's top propagandist, Olga Skabeeva, interrupted her talk show on May 16 to share "breaking news" with the Russian people. The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) uncovered a spy, Skabeeva said, who had been feeding information about Russian military infrastructure and equipment to Ukrainian authorities. "A (criminal) case was opened
On the morning of May 13, Tetiana Horobtsova was busy in the kitchen at her home in then-occupied Kherson when she heard her daughter saying, "Mom, they’ve come for me." She left the kitchen to find her daughter – 37-year-old IT specialist Iryna Horobtsova – standing on the balcony, looking pale
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