Vitaly Sayenko15:59, 02.10.25

In particular, among the released soldiers are the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Service.

A new prisoner exchange with Russia has taken place. Ukraine has released 185 defenders from Russian captivity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on his Telegram channel .

“We are returning home 185 of our defenders from Russian captivity. One hundred and eighty-three are privates, sergeants, two are officers,” the head of state said.

In particular, among the released soldiers are the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Service. 

“Civilians are also returning with the defenders – 20 of our people,” Zelenskyy said. 

The Head of State assured that everyone will be provided with the necessary support.

“Our soldiers were in Mariupol and at Azovstal, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Most have been in captivity since 2022 and now they are finally home,” Zelenskyy emphasized. 

He thanked everyone who makes the exchanges possible. 

According to him, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 7 thousand of our people have already been returned home. “We must return everyone. We are working on this every day,” Zelensky added.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War , the released servicemen defended the country in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions.

“Among those liberated today are again the defenders of Mariupol. National Guard members who were captured while guarding the Chernobyl nuclear power plant are also returning home,” the report says.

The youngest released defender was 26 years old, and the oldest was 59 years old.Read also:

“Virtually all of the Ukrainian military and civilian personnel released today have been in captivity since 2022,” the report notes.

Those released from captivity will undergo a full medical examination, receive assistance in physical and psychological rehabilitation, and all state payments. It is noted that some of the prisoners were exchanged in accordance with the agreements in Istanbul, and the other part – within the framework of the next, 69th exchange.

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Return of Ukrainian military and civilians from Russian captivity on Independence Day – what is known

As UNIAN reported, on August 24, on Ukraine’s Independence Day, a large number of Ukrainian prisoners and civilian hostages were released. In particular, UNIAN journalist Dmytro Khylyuk, who had been in Russian custody for 3.5 years, returned home. 

The defenders released that day guarded the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, defended Mariupol, and also restrained the enemy in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions.

(C)UNIAN 2025