Some Ukrainians spent decade in captivity: Zelenskyy shares four-year prisoner release figures
Photo: Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that, thanks to the work of the Coordination Headquarters, a total of 8,669 Ukrainians have returned home since the beginning of the war, according to Zelenskyy on Telegram.
"In March, we marked the fourth anniversary of the creation of one of our most important state institutions — the one that brings people back to Ukraine from captivity and gives all of us hope to see our loved ones at home," he said.
The President emphasized that over four years of the Coordination Headquarters’ work, 8,669 Ukrainians have returned home.
"Military personnel and civilians. Some of them have been in captivity since the hybrid war — for ten years or more. And this is always good news on any day, week, or month, when Ukrainians return and when we see that lives have been saved," Zelenskyy noted.
Prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia
On March 5–6, Russia and Ukraine publicly announced an agreement to carry out a prisoner exchange on a 500-for-500 formula. The exchange was planned in two stages: the first to release 200 military personnel, the second — 300.
The first stage of the large exchange under the Geneva agreements took place on Thursday, March 5. At that time, 200 Ukrainian servicemen were freed from Russian captivity. Another 300 Ukrainian defenders returned home the following day, March 6.
The first prisoner exchange of 2026 took place on February 5, when 157 Ukrainians returned home — 150 military personnel and 7 civilians.
Prior to that, the previous combined exchange was held in October 2025. Then, 185 military personnel and 20 civilians were returned from Russian captivity. Most of the Ukrainians had been held captive since 2022.
