Ukraine and Russia complete second stage of large-scale prisoner exchange

Ukraine and Russia have carried out the second stage of a large-scale prisoner exchange under the 1,000-for-1,000 format, with 185 Ukrainian servicemen and one civilian returning home, Ukrainian officials said.

Announcing the exchange, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the released group included members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.

Zelenskyy noted those freed range from rank-and-file soldiers and sergeants to commissioned officers. Many had fought in some of the most intense battles of the war, including in Mariupol and the Azovstal steelworks, as well as in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv and Kursk directions.

"Today, another 185 Ukrainian defenders are returning home from Russian captivity. Alongside them, one civilian is also returning," Zelenskyy said.

Among those released are servicemen who had been held in Russian captivity since 2022. The group also includes a participant in a high-profile operation to evacuate personnel by air from the besieged Azovstal complex.

Ukrainian authorities said a father and son who served in the same brigade were also among those freed. The pair were captured separately in 2022, just one day apart.

The youngest released prisoner is 26 years old, while the oldest is 62.