Vitaly Sayenko, Yuriy Kobzar15:36, 06.05.25

The prisoner exchange took place with the mediation of the United Arab Emirates.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted a large-scale exchange of prisoners of war . 205 Ukrainian soldiers returned home from Russian captivity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced this on Telegram .

“Today, Ukraine returned 205 soldiers. Young boys and adult men from almost all types and branches of the armed forces. Defenders of Mariupol and defenders of the entire front line,” Zelenskyy emphasized.

According to him, the captured soldiers “were scattered across many Russian regions, imprisoned by a prison system with a single task: to humiliate and destroy humanity.”

“We returned them. And I thank everyone who worked on this exchange. I thank our partners, first of all the United Arab Emirates, for their mediation and assistance. I thank those who care and continue to talk about Ukrainians in captivity,” the head of state added.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War , among the released soldiers are representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in particular the Navy, Air Force, Airborne Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Service of Ukraine.

In particular, three Ukrainian officers and 202 soldiers and sergeants are returning home.

“The liberated Defenders defended Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions, in Zaporizhia and Kharkiv regions, in Kherson, Sumy and Kyiv regions, as well as Defenders from the Mariupol garrison,” the message specifies.

It is also said that today’s exchange is the fifth this year and the 64th since the start of the full-scale invasion.

“In total, within the framework of the negotiation process and exchanges since March 2022, the Coordination Headquarters has released 4,757 Ukrainian citizens,” the message added.

At the same time, all released prisoners will be provided with medical care and treatment, necessary items, clothing, and hygiene products for the first time. They will also be paid financial support for the time they were in captivity and a one-time financial assistance.

“The liberated Oborontsi will have the opportunity to undergo rehabilitation and reintegration after prolonged isolation in Russian captivity,” the message emphasizes.

As the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets , clarified , many defenders have been in captivity since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, among them are the seriously ill and wounded who have been returned.

Preliminary prisoner exchange

As UNIAN reported, the previous prisoner exchange took place on April 19, 2025. 277 of our defenders returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity then. 

The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War noted that 246 soldiers were returned as part of the prisoner exchange, and another 31 people were released outside the exchange. Most of those who were returned are young people born after 2000. 

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine noted that the oldest among the defenders released from Russian captivity – a National Guard soldier – was about to turn 61. At the same time, the youngest among the defenders was 20 years old at the time of his release. 

(C)UNIAN 2025