Vitaly Sayenko, Lesya Leshchenko12:54, 06.03.26

Among those released are also two civilians.

Another 300 Ukrainian defenders have been released from Russian captivity , Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram . 

“Another 300 Ukrainian defenders are returning home from Russian captivity. We also managed to return two Ukrainian civilians today,” the president noted.

In particular, according to him, among them are guys from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, our Border Service. Privates, sergeants, officers. They defended Ukraine in various directions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, in Mariupol. Most of them were in captivity for over a year, some since 2022.

“I thank all our soldiers who ensure this result, replenishing the exchange fund for Ukraine. I thank the entire team that worked for this result. I am grateful to the United States for mediation. It is important that the agreements worked. We remember each and every one and we must definitely return all our people,” Zelenskyy noted.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on Telegram, the exchange agreements were previously reached at negotiations in Geneva. In addition to the United States, the United Arab Emirates was involved in mediation and facilitation. 

In particular, among the defenders released today, in addition to soldiers and sergeants, there are officers. “The youngest released prisoner is 26 years old, the oldest is 60,” the report says. 

As specified in the Coordination Headquarters, the liberated Defenders will be taken to medical centers for all necessary examinations, further treatment and medical rehabilitation. They will be provided with the necessary assistance, will receive documents and appropriate monetary payments. 

As the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets added , among those returned there are people with the same name: six different Ukrainian defense personnel who have three identical surnames.

“In total, 500 defenders returned home yesterday and today. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 6,922 Ukrainians have returned,” Lubinets noted.

(C)UNIAN 2026