Ukraine brings home 193 POWs from Russian captivity
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One hundred ninety-three Ukrainian soldiers returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory after being held in Russian captivity on April 24, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Russia's Defense Ministry also reported releasing 193 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in exchange for 193 Russian soldiers.
The seventy-third prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine continued the Easter exchange, the first phase of which took place on April 11, and was carried out in line with the agreements reached earlier.
Those returned include personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, the National Police, and the State Special Transport Service, Zelensky said.
The president added that those brought back to Ukraine include individuals against whom Russian authorities have opened criminal cases, as well as wounded soldiers.
Most of those released had been unlawfully detained in Chechnya. Some faced fabricated criminal charges, in violation of the Geneva Conventions, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
In addition to soldiers and sergeants, several officers were also released, the coordination headquarters said.
The released service members had served in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kursk sectors of the front line.
The youngest released soldier is twenty-four years old and was captured in Donetsk Oblast in 2023. The oldest is sixty, according to the coordination headquarters.
"I thank everyone working to make these exchanges possible – every unit on the frontline that ensures the replenishment of the exchange fund for Ukraine. I am grateful to all partners who are helping in this effort," Zelensky said.
"We remember each and every one and continue working every day to bring our people home from Russian captivity."
While trilateral peace talks between Russia, Ukraine, and the U.S. are paused as attention shifts to the Middle East conflict, Kyiv maintains contact with Moscow on prisoner swaps, President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said in an interview with Ukrinform on April 9.
The U.S. and the United Arab Emirates helped to carry out the recent swap, according to Budanov.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Kyiv has brought back more than 7,000 Ukrainians, Zelensky said. Over 2,500 Ukrainian POWs remained in Russian captivity as of early September, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said.
