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Dozens of Ukrainian Soldiers and Civilians Freed in Independence Day Exchange With Russia
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Ukraine carried out a new prisoner exchange with Russia on August 24, coinciding with the country’s Independence Day, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Zelenskyy confirmed that Ukrainian servicemen and civilians have returned home. Among those released are members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.
The president highlighted the return of journalist Dmytro Khilyuk, who was abducted by Russian forces in Kyiv region in March 2022.
“Today our people are coming back home. Warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and civilians. Most of them were captured back in 2022,” Zelenskyy said in his statement.
He noted that prisoner exchanges continue through the work of Ukrainian forces, the Coordination Headquarters, and international partners. Zelenskyy expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the latest round.
According to Russian reports, both sides exchanged 146 prisoners. The Russian Ministry of Defense stated the swap was mediated by the UAE.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that the deal was reached during talks in Istanbul. All released defenders were of enlisted and sergeant ranks. Nearly all spent more than three years in captivity.
Those freed had defended Mariupol, as well as positions in Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv, and Sumy regions, and some had been taken prisoner while guarding the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. Others were detained in Crimea and on temporarily occupied territories.
The niece of former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolaienko confirmed to Suspilne that he was also released as part of the exchange.
Earlier, on August 14, Ukraine conducted its 67th prisoner exchange, securing the release of 84 citizens—including servicemen and civilians—some of whom had been held in Russian captivity since 2014.
The exchange, mediated by the UAE, brought home defenders from Mariupol, Navy personnel, border guards, and long-term detainees sentenced by occupation “courts” prior to the full-scale invasion.
