‘Most Have Been in Captivity Since 2022’: 185 Ukrainian Soldiers Returned in Latest Prisoner Swap With Russia

Ukraine has brought home 185 of its soldiers from Russian captivity, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Thursday, in the latest in a series of prisoner exchanges despite stalled peace talks.

Zelensky said the return included 183 enlisted soldiers and sergeants, along with two officers from the Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Service. Twenty civilians were also released as part of the swap.

“Our defenders were in Mariupol, at Azovstal, and at the Chernobyl nuclear plant. Most have been in captivity since 2022, and now – finally – they are home,” Zelensky said.

“Since the start of the full-scale invasion, we have returned more than 7,000 of our people. We must bring everyone back. We work on this every day.”

The previous exchange took place on Aug. 24, when both sides returned more prisoners of war. Hundreds of POWs have been released through ongoing swaps this year.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only concrete outcome of three rounds of peace talks in Istanbul between May and July, the first formal talks in over three years.

Despite deep divisions over political and territorial issues, Russia and Ukraine agreed to a major “1,000-for-1,000” exchange as a humanitarian gesture. The process is being implemented in phases, including a multi-step exchange completed in the summer of 2025.

Prisoner swaps remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

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