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Ukraine Brings Home 175 Soldiers and 7 Civilians in New Prisoner Exchange
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Ukraine secured the release of 182 Ukrainians from Russian captivity in its 72nd prisoner exchange ahead of Easter, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War on April 11.
The exchange returned 175 servicemembers and seven civilians after negotiations carried out by the Coordination Headquarters on the instruction of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The headquarters noted that nearly all those freed, both military personnel and civilians, had been held since 2022.
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“We express gratitude to the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates for facilitating the exchange and the return home of Ukrainian civilians and military personnel,” the headquarters stated.
Among those released were 25 officers whom the Russian side had previously refused to exchange.
More than half of the servicemembers had been captured during the defense of Mariupol, while several National Guard troops were taken prisoner during the occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the opening days of the full-scale invasion.
The freed prisoners include personnel from the Navy, Ground Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, Air Assault Forces, Military Law Enforcement Service, Air Force, Unmanned Systems Forces, the National Guard of Ukraine, and the State Border Guard Service.
The youngest released prisoner is 22, while the oldest is 63.
The agency added that all those released will undergo medical examinations, receive treatment, immediate assistance, rehabilitation, and support for reintegration after prolonged isolation in Russian captivity.
A previous major exchange took place on March 6, bringing home 300 servicemen in the second and final stage of an exchange agreed in Geneva.
The Coordination Headquarters also reported that two Ukrainian civilians had returned, while the freed group included personnel from multiple branches, including the Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, the Navy, and the National Guard.
According to Ukrainian authorities, those released had fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson directions, and some had defended Mariupol during the opening months of the full-scale war.
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