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Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 prisoners of war from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says

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Ukraine has brought back over 4,000 prisoners of war from Russian captivity since start of full-scale invasion, Zelensky says
Activists and relatives of Ukrainian prisoners of war hold banners urging for the return of Ukrainian soldiers of Mariupol garrison from Russian captivity during the rally on Sophia Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 7, 2024. (Oleksandr Gusev/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

Ukraine has returned 4,306 prisoners of war (POWs) from Russian captivity since the start of the full-scale invasion, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on March 21.

The Ukrainian government has been engaging with foreign partners and international organizations to return Ukrainian citizens home. In 2024, Ukraine managed to return 1,358 people from Russian captivity.

"Now, when we talk to the American side and our other partners about how to end the war, we talk about the release of prisoners as one of the first steps," Zelensky said.

The president emphasized that all the necessary services are working to bring Ukrainians back from Russian captivity.

Zelensky's statement came shortly after Ukraine brought home 197 Ukrainian soldiers. One hundred seventy-five of them were returned as part of the one-for-one exchange with Russia, and another 22 Ukrainian service members were returned through negotiations outside of the swap.

The swap was negotiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 18.

Following a call with Trump, the Kremlin announced that it would conduct a one-for-one prisoner exchange with Ukraine. Moscow also claimed that it would release 23 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers, but only transferred 22.

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Kateryna Hodunova

News Editor

Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.

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