246 Ukrainian soldiers return home in major Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported this on his Telegram channel.

“Having our people back home is one of the best pieces of news possible. Another 277 soldiers have returned home from Russian captivity,” the president emphasized.

He noted that among those who returned from Russian captivity are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Special Transport Service, and border guards. They defended Mariupol and other areas in Donetsk region, as well as Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk regions.

In total, according to Zelenskyy, since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 4,552 people—both soldiers and civilians—have been brought home from Russian captivity.

Earlier, the Russian propaganda outlet TASS reported the POW exchange with Ukrainr, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.

"Russia returned 246 servicemen from Ukrainian captivity, and in exchange, 246 Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of war were handed over," the statement says.

The Russian soldiers who returned from Ukrainian captivity are currently in Belarus, where they are receiving necessary medical assistance. After this, they are to be transported to Russia for further treatment and rehabilitation.

Representatives of the United Arab Emirates took on the mediating role in the exchange process.

The Russian Defense Ministry added that they handed over 31 wounded Ukrainian prisoners of war in exchange for 15 wounded Russian servicemen, calling this a "gesture of goodwill."

• In total, during more than three years of full-scale war, Ukraine has managed to return 4,306 defenders and civilians from Russian captivity.