Ukraine brings home 185 soldiers and 1 civilian in exchange with Russia

Among those released were members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service who defended Ukraine in Mariupol, including at the Azovstal steelworks, as well as on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv and Kursk axes.

Some of those freed had been held since 2022, including a participant in the helicopter mission that broke through to the encircled Azovstal plant. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said a father and son who fought in the same brigade and were captured one day apart in 2022 were also among those returning home.

The youngest person released is 26, while the oldest is 62. In addition to rank-and-file troops and sergeants, two officers were also returned, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

According to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President, partners from the United States and the United Arab Emirates played a “significant role” in arranging this exchange and previous ones.

Earlier, at the start of May, Ukraine and Russia agreed through U.S. mediation to a three-day ceasefire and an exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side. On May 15, part of that exchange took place, and another 205 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity. There had been no new exchanges since then.

Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said Russia was delaying preparations for the swap. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office, called it “a familiar story,” saying it was “not the first time” Russia had failed to fulfill agreements or had carried them out only partially.