President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 307 more Ukrainian prisoners of war (POW) have returned home as part of an ongoing large-scale exchange agreement with Russia.
“307 more Ukrainian defenders at home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange, which was agreed upon in Turkey,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
JOIN US ON TELEGRAM
Follow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.
“In just these two days, 697 people have already been returned. Tomorrow we expect more,” he added.
According to the president, the group includes personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces (AFU), the State Border Guard Service, and the National Guard.
“I thank everyone involved in the exchange process, who works around the clock. Our goal is to return each and every one of us from Russian captivity,” Zelenskyy said, adding that Ukraine continues working with international partners to ensure the return of all captives.
This marks one of the largest coordinated POW exchanges between Ukraine and Russia since the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
In a video shared by the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak, the newly released soldiers can be seen shouting: “Glory to Ukraine - Glory to the Heroes!” and “Ukraine above all!”
Yermak added that some of the released prisoners had been held in captivity since 2022. Among those brought home were also drone operators from Ukraine’s Unmanned Systems Forces.
Ukraine Approves National Pantheon Law to Honor State Builders, Military Leaders and Cultural Icons
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported via Telegram that 27 defenders of Mariupol were returned on the second day of the large-scale exchange. This swap also marked the first time that POWs were released from specific units and formations.
“In the current exchange, 27 defenders of Mariupol are returning to their homeland. All 307 liberated defenders are men - servicemen from the private and non-commissioned ranks,” the statement said.
Overall, Ukrainian soldiers who had fought in the Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk sectors were returned home.
The youngest among the freed is 25 years old, the oldest is 61. Several of the released are wounded or ill.
In addition, Zelensky shared a video showing the freed prisoners arriving on Ukrainian territory, embracing one another, calling their families, and posing with Ukrainian flags.
Ukraine announced Friday that it had exchanged 390 prisoners of war with Russia — the first phase of a broader agreement brokered during recent talks in Istanbul.
The deal, reached last week, involves each side releasing 1,000 prisoners. So far, this is the only significant outcome of the negotiations held in Turkey.
Zelensky said more exchanges are expected over the weekend.
Earlier this month, on May 6, both sides swapped 205 captured soldiers in a separate deal.
“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,” Zelensky wrote at the time.
A Kyiv Post correspondent witnessed the transfer to a medical facility in a border town, capturing scenes of emotional reunions with families and the freed soldiers’ first phone calls after months in captivity.
This story might be updated
You can also highlight the text and press Ctrl + Enter
