270 Ukrainian soldiers return home
Ukraine has brought home 261 service members and nine civilians in the third phase of a prisoner exchange process with Russia.
Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange on October 23 that returned 270 Ukrainians from Russian captivity. The group includes 261 service members and nine civilians, most of whom had been held since 2022, including defenders of Mariupol. Those freed include National Guard troops, Azov fighters, border guards and personnel from several branches of Ukraine’s Armed Forces. Five of the returned Ukrainians had been believed killed in the July 2022 attack on the Olenivka prison camp. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the exchange was historic because 86 convicted service members and one person facing prosecution were released.
