Largest Prisoner Exchange During the War: 1,000 People on Their Way Home

390 Ukrainian prisoners of war first set foot on home soil on May 23. The scenes from their reception moved both soldiers and relatives. Soldier Anton Kobylnyk, who had been a prisoner for over three years after his capture at the Azovmash plant in Mariupol in 2022, immediately contacted his family upon his return.

On the Russian side, the country’s defense ministry announced that 270 soldiers and 120 civilians had returned. The list of exchange candidates was first shared between the parties the day before the exchange. This sparked hope among many Ukrainians who are still waiting for answers about the fate of their loved ones.

Inna Sokurina was among the many waiting anxiously, as her son, a marine infantryman, has been in Russian captivity for 37 months. The atmosphere among those present was a mixture of anticipation and fear.

The exchange was the result of meetings between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in Istanbul earlier in May. It was the first direct negotiations since 2022. Ukraine’s president described the exchange as the only real outcome of these talks.

At the same time, the Ukrainian government emphasized that the effort to bring more people home is far from over. According to official figures, at least 8,000 Ukrainian soldiers remain in Russian captivity, while Russia continues to hold thousands of civilians and 31 journalists.

Our team may have used AI to assist in the creation of this content, which has been reviewed by our editors.