Ukraine brings home 157 service members and civilians freed from russian captivity

During the first prisoner exchange of 2026, 157 Ukrainians were released from russian captivity, including 150 service members and seven civilians.

Service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine are returning home — including representatives of the Navy, the Land Forces, the Territorial Defense Forces, the Air Assault Forces, and the Air Force — as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Among those released are soldiers, sergeants, and officers.

The freed defenders fought for Ukraine in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv sectors. More than half of those freed were taken captive during the defense of Mariupol. Also released was a National Guard service member who was captured during the occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

Of the Ukrainians freed today, 139 had been held in russian captivity since 2022.

 

The youngest of those released is 23 years old. He was captured at the age of 19 during the defense of Mariupol and unlawfully sentenced to life imprisonment by a russian court. The oldest freed defender is 63 years old.

Ukraine expresses gratitude to the United States and the United Arab Emirates for their assistance in organizing the exchange and bringing Ukrainian service members and civilians home.