Ukraine and Russia complete largest POW exchange since full-scale war began

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the exchange at 12:26 p.m. Kyiv time.

“Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service are returning home,” the president said.

"We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity," Zelenskyy assured.

The freed prisoners change out of the clothes they wore in Russian captivity.

Who was released?

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, all those freed today are men — privates and sergeants.

“The liberated defenders fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk sectors, as well as in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions,” the Coordination Center said.

They also confirmed that 70 defenders from Mariupol are returning home.

How many have been returned since 2022?

The recent three-day "1000 for 1000" exchange was the sixth this year and the 65th since the full-scale invasion began. Since March 2022, the Coordination Headquarters has helped release 5,757 Ukrainian citizens through negotiations and exchanges. Another 536 Ukrainians were returned outside of these exchanges.