In a significant prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, 205 Ukrainian soldiers returned to their homeland. Most of them were held in Russian captivity since 2022.

The exchange, which took place on 6 May, Ukrainian Infantry Day, was facilitated through mediation by the United Arab Emirates.

“Our people are free. Our people are home […] Young and older men from almost all types and branches of the Armed Forces. Defenders of Mariupol and the entire front line,” Ukrainian President Zelenskyy stated.

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, these individuals had defended Ukrainian territories across multiple fronts, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv oblasts, as well as the besieged city of Mariupol.

Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko reported that 40 of the released prisoners serve under his ministry—26 guardsmen and 14 border guards—with ages ranging from 22 to 25. Most had been in captivity since 2022, highlighting the extended duration of their imprisonment.

This exchange marks the fifth such operation in 2025 and the 64th since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. The Coordination Headquarters notes that since March 2022, Ukraine has secured the release of 4,757 citizens through negotiation processes.

All returning personnel will receive medical care, essential supplies, back pay for their time in captivity, financial assistance, and rehabilitation support to help with reintegration after their prolonged detention.

Earlier, the Ukrainian Media Initiative for Human Rights (MIHR) and families of POWs reported that the number of deaths among Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held by Russia has sharply increased due to brutal conditions including torture, beatings, severe malnutrition, and lack of medical care.