Ukraine announces return of more prisoners of war from Russian captivity

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov has confirmed the return of another group of Ukrainian prisoners of war from Russian captivity, highlighting that among those brought home are severely wounded and seriously ill defenders of Ukraine, including soldiers under the age of 25.

“This exchange is the result of systematic diplomatic and coordinated efforts,” Umerov stated, underscoring the complexity and persistence required to secure the release of Ukrainian captives.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also addressed the development, announcing that another stage of prisoner exchanges had been completed. “Today, warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning home. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022. We are doing everything possible to find each person, to verify the information on every name. We must bring all our people home,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media, thanking everyone involved in the process.

As with previous exchanges, the exact location of the handover was not disclosed by Ukrainian authorities. On the Russian side, state news agency TASS, citing the Ministry of Defense, reported the return of another group of Russian military personnel from Ukrainian-controlled territory. According to the report, the exchanged Russian soldiers were transported to Belarus and from there transferred to clinics operated by Russia’s Defense Ministry.

The swap is part of an ongoing agreement between Kyiv and Moscow, initially reached during negotiations in Istanbul on June 2, which included arrangements for the exchange of both prisoners of war and the bodies of fallen soldiers.