“All for All"—Demonstrators in Kyiv Demand Prisoner Swap in Talks With Russia

On March 11, more than a hundred people gathered in central Kyiv to demand the immediate release of Ukrainian soldiers from Russian captivity, particularly the defenders of Mariupol.

Demonstrators called for any future negotiations with Russia to include an immediate exchange of prisoners in an “all-for-all” format, particularly for those who defended Mariupol.

Responding to a call from the families of Mariupol’s captured defenders, protesters carried flags and banners of the Azov and Marine Corps brigades , honoring the soldiers who held out against Russian forces until the city’s fall in 2022.

The protesters chanted, “Captivity is a slow death!” and “Return the heroes home!” as they marched through the city, stopping at government buildings and Independence Square.

The protesters emphasized that thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, including members of the Azov Brigade and Marine Corps brigade, remain imprisoned in Russia nearly three years after their surrender in Mariupol.

Organizers accused Russia of subjecting the prisoners to inhumane conditions, referring to them as “death camps,” and cited the 2022 attack on the Olenivka detention facility that killed and wounded dozens of Azov fighters. They also criticized the international community and human rights organizations for failing to pressure Russia to comply with international law on prisoners of war.

“We demand from the United States—no agreements with Russia without the return of our heroes home,” said Liliya, the mother of a captured soldier.

The event concluded near a memorial to those killed in the war, with organizers urging Ukrainian society not to forget those still in captivity.