Ukraine has carried out a new prisoner exchange with Russia, bringing home 300 service members and two civilians. Most of the freed defenders had been held for more than a year, and some since the start of the full-scale war in 2022.
Three hundred Ukrainian service members held in Russian captivity are returning home, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Alongside them, two civilians were also released. The president said the group includes troops from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, National Guard fighters and border guards.
“Among them are guys from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and our border service. Privates, sergeants, officers. They defended Ukraine in multiple directions: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, in Mariupol,” Zelensky noted.
He added that most of those freed had been in captivity for more than a year, with some captured by Russian forces back in 2022. The president thanked Ukrainian forces who are building up the exchange pool by taking occupiers prisoner, as well as the entire team organizing the swaps.
“I am grateful to the United States for its mediation. It is important that the agreements worked. We remember each and every one, and we must bring all our people home,” Zelensky added.
On March 5, Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange that returned Ukrainian defenders home. Following that exchange, about 200 Ukrainian service members were able to return. President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the information.
Earlier, delegations from the United States, Ukraine and Russia meeting in Abu Dhabi agreed on an exchange of 314 prisoners. This was announced by U.S. presidential special representative Steve Witkoff, who emphasized it was the first such exchange in the last five months. He said talks are ongoing, with the sides expecting further progress in the coming weeks.
