Finally home: 193 Ukrainian defenders will see their loved ones again

While thousands are still in captivity: prisoners of war returned to Ukraine

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24 Apr 2026

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193 полонені Захисники повернулися додому

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky April 24 2026 announced a new prisoner exchange: 193 Ukrainian servicemen are returning home. Among those released – servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the National Police and the State Special Transport Service.

Those returned from Russian captivity defended Ukraine on various sectors of the front. Among them are the wounded, as well as people against whom Russia opened criminal cases, attempting to put pressure on Ukrainian defenders even in captivity.

“It is important that exchanges are happening and that our people are returning home. I thank everyone who works for the exchanges. To every unit on the front that provides replenishment for Ukraine’s exchange pool. Grateful to all partners who help with this,” – emphasized Volodymyr Zelensky.

The President also emphasized that Ukraine does not stop working to return all its citizens who still remain in Russian captivity.

“We remember every single person and daily continue to work on bringing our people home from Russian captivity.”

The particularity of today’s exchange is that it was possible to return defenders born in the 2000s and the wounded. The majority of the prisoners were held on the territory of Chechnya. Fabricated criminal cases were brought against some of them, which is a violation of the Geneva Conventions.

The youngest defender has turned 24. The oldest defender is 60 years old. Today two of the released servicemembers will celebrate their birthdays already on native soil. According to media reports, this is already the 73rd prisoner exchange since the start of the full-scale war

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