On Friday, October 23, Ukraine conducted a new stage of prisoner exchange with Russia. 270 people returned home - 261 servicemen and nine civilians. Among the released are defenders of Mariupol, Azov fighters and five Ukrainians who survived the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka in July 2022.
This was announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Details of the exchange were published by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.
This is the third stage of a combined prisoner exchange that began on August 19, 2026. Ukraine has returned servicemen of the Armed Forces, including the Navy, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, Special Operations Forces, Military Law Enforcement Service, State Special Transport Service, as well as National Guard fighters, State Border Guard Service and a State Emergency Service rescuer.
Most of the released defenders were taken prisoner by Russia back in 2022. A significant part of them took part in the defense of Mariupol. It was also possible to free military personnel who defended Ukraine in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Chernihiv directions, and defenders of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
A special feature of this exchange was the return of five Ukrainians who were in barrack No. 200 of the colony in occupied Olenivka during the terrorist attack on July 29, 2022. According to Zelenskyy, these people were previously considered dead. Now they have returned home.
The Coordination Headquarters clarified that among the released servicemen are 38 officers. Nine of the returned defenders have serious illnesses. It was also possible to free people who had been in Russian captivity since 2018 and 2020.
Russia illegally brought a significant part of Ukrainian prisoners of war to criminal liability on fabricated charges. Some defenders were sentenced to long prison terms, including life imprisonment.
The Coordination Headquarters separately thanked the United States and the United Arab Emirates for assisting in the release of 74-year-old Stephen Hubbard, an English teacher from Izyum, whom the Russian side illegally sentenced and, according to the Ukrainian side, subjected to torture.
All released will undergo medical examination and receive the necessary treatment. They are also provided with appropriate state payments, basic necessities, rehabilitation and assistance in returning to normal life after a long captivity.
The President thanked everyone who worked on organizing the exchange and stressed that Ukraine continues to work on finding and returning citizens remaining in Russian captivity.
Earlier on October 23, "Kurs Ukrainy" reported about a separate humanitarian return of seven Ukrainian civilians with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Among them were a 90-year-old woman and a mother with a child who were unable to leave occupied Mariupol. This humanitarian procedure should not be equated with the new exchange reported by the Coordination Headquarters.
Based on materials from: Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
