Ukrainian prisoners of war were released from Russian custody Thursday in a prisoner swap. Here, some of them posed for a photo with Ukrainian flags draped around them. Photo courtesy of Ukrainian President Voldymyr Zelensky via X.
Ukraine and Russia participated in a prisoner swap that released 84 Ukrainians from Russian captivity, with more to come over the next few days.
“We are bringing Ukrainians back home to Ukraine,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on X. “A new exchange, 84 people, both military personnel and civilians. Almost all of them require medical care and significant rehabilitation.”
We are bringing Ukrainians back home to Ukraine. A new exchange, 84 people, both military personnel and civilians. Almost all of them require medical care and significant rehabilitation.
Among the civilians released today are those who had been held by the Russians since 2014,… pic.twitter.com/ITZDetOHIQ— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 14, 2025
Some of the prisoners returned to Ukraine were those captured before the war broke out in 2022. One of which, a resident of the Donetsk region, had been detained for nearly 11 years, since 2014, the Kyiv Post reported.
The military personnel that were freed were defenders of Mariupol, some in the Ukrainian navy and members of the state Border Guard Service.
Vitalii Atamanchuk, 74, was the oldest person in the swap. He was arrested by Russia in 2018 in Donetsk. At the time, his wife and son were taken with him but were later released, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Home Вдома pic.twitter.com/8osh4uUBQB— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) August 14, 2025
The swap started on Friday and will continue on Saturday and Sunday, with Kyiv and Moscow expected to swap 2,000 people — 1,000 from each side, CNN reported.
It was the only significant outcome of a meeting in Istanbul last week. It was the first time the two sides had met in person since the invasion.
