Zelenskyy: Over 5,800 Ukrainians freed from Russian captivity since start of war

Ukrainian  President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has announced that a total of 5,857 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, with an additional 555 people released outside of formal exchange procedures.

Speaking after a high-level meeting on prisoner release efforts, Zelenskyy said he had gathered “nearly everyone in our team involved in securing the release of prisoners and providing them with assistance," Caliber.Az reports, citing RBC-Ukraine. 

“There were representatives of the coordination headquarters, representatives of the services involved in exchanges, members of the Presidential Office team, and our people who have been freed from Russian captivity,” the president wrote on Telegram.

Among those attending the meeting were Ukrainian defenders from various front-line regions, including soldiers from the Azov Regiment, paramedic Taira, and civilian Lenie Umerova, who was detained by Russian forces in occupied Crimea.

The president expressed deep gratitude to everyone involved in the exchange process and underscored that the liberation of prisoners remains a top national priority.

“We haven’t stopped for a single day. Since the beginning of the full-scale war, a total of 5,857 people have been brought back alive from captivity. An additional 555 people were released outside of official exchanges. As a result of exchanges conducted within the Istanbul format, more than a thousand of our warriors have returned,” Zelenskyy stated.

He also recalled the deadly Olenivka prison attack, in which dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed, stressing the need to persist with the exchange efforts.

“It is important to continue the exchanges and to check the situation regarding each and every name. Every individual matters,” he said.

Prisoner exchange negotiations between Ukraine and Russia were initially held in Istanbul, where both parties agreed to a 1,000-for-1,000 format. Subsequent agreements included the return of all seriously ill and wounded prisoners, as well as young POWs aged 18 to 25.

Although Ukrainian officials initially refrained from disclosing figures until all agreed exchanges were completed, last week the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, confirmed that more than 1,000 Ukrainians had been returned under the Istanbul agreement.

By Sabina Mammadli