Zelenskyy announces number of people freed from Russian captivity since start of war

"Today, I held a meeting with nearly everyone in our team involved in securing the release of prisoners and providing them with assistance," President Zelenskyy said. "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 meeting was attended by Ukrainian defenders from various front-line directions, including the defenders of Mariupol, soldiers from the Azov Regiment, paramedic Taira, and civilian Lenie Umerova, who Russians captured in occupied Crimea.

The President thanked everyone involved in the exchange process and emphasized that the issue of freeing prisoners remains a constant priority for the state.

"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 noted.

He also specifically mentioned the horrific terrorist attack in Olenivka, which killed Ukrainian prisoners of war, and stressed the need to continue the exchange process.

"It is important to continue the exchanges and to check the situation regarding each and every name. Every individual matters," the head of state said.

He also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian military, who are contributing to the exchange fund, making it possible to bring more prisoners back home.

Prisoner exchanges

During the first and second rounds of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Istanbul, agreements were reached regarding prisoner exchanges. Initially, it was in the format of 1000 for 1000, followed by an agreement to exchange all severely wounded, seriously ill prisoners, as well as prisoners of war aged between 18 and 25.

Before that, the Ukrainian side had stated it would not disclose the number of returned prisoners until all exchanges under the agreement were completed.

However, last week, the Chief of the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, announced that over 1,000 Ukrainians had been returned since the agreement came into effect.

It is currently known that exchanges took place on June 9, 10, 12, 14, 19, 20, and 26, as well as on July 4 and 23.

At the same time, according to the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubinets, as of May 6 this year, a total of 4,757 Ukrainians had been returned from Russian captivity since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.