Kyiv and Moscow swap prisoners on Ukraine's Independence Day


Author
Front News Georgia
Ukraine and Russia carried out another prisoner exchange on Sunday, coinciding with Ukraine’s Independence Day, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.
“Today our people are returning home — soldiers of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them have been in captivity since 2022,” Zelenskyy said.
Among those released are journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, and Mark Kaliush, who had been unlawfully held by the Russians since 2022 and 2023 respectively.
Those released also include members of nearly all branches of Ukraine’s defence forces, as well as several civilians, including a medic who saved lives during the siege of Azovstal and the former mayor of Kherson, Volodymyr Mykolayenko.
Ukrainian authorities said the returnees will undergo full medical examinations, receive rehabilitation, and be reintegrated after years in captivity.
