Almost four years in Russian captivity: Ukraine returned 205 defenders

15 May 2026, Ukraine received back 205 Ukrainians who had been held in Russian captivity. This was reported by President Volodymyr Zelensky, noting that this is the first stage of an exchange in the format 1000 for 1000.

Among the released – soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Privates, sergeants and officers returned home.

President Volodymyr Zelensky emphasized that most of the released had been in Russian captivity since 2022. These are defenders who defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at “Azovstal”, and who also fought on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, Kyiv directions and at the Chernobyl NPP.

“Thank you to everyone who works to bring our people home, first of all to our soldiers who replenish the exchange fund for Ukraine, and to our team. Thank you to all the partners who help free Ukrainians from captivity. We will continue to fight for every man and woman who still remains in captivity”, – thanked Volodymyr Zelensky everyone who worked on returning Ukrainians from Russian captivity, separately highlighting the soldiers who replenish the exchange fund, the Ukrainian team and international partners.

Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov reported that most of the soldiers released on 15 May had been held in captivity for four years. According to him, among them are defenders of Mariupol, soldiers and officers of the security and defense forces of Ukraine, who defended the country on all front-line directions. Kyrylo Budanov also thanked partners from the United States of America and the United Arab Emirates for their important role in carrying out this exchange.

According to the Coordination Headquarters on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, servicemembers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine returned home, including representatives of:

• Naval Forces;
• Ground Forces;
• Air Assault Forces;
• Territorial Defense Forces;
• Air Force.

Also, the following fighters were returned from captivity:

• National Guard of Ukraine;
• State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

In addition to soldiers and sergeants, more than fifty officers returned home. Among the released is a National Guard member who was captured at the Chernobyl NPP. According to the Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets, the youngest released defender turned 21 years old, the oldest – 62 years old.

This exchange is notable in that 95% of those returned were captured back in 2022. That is 193 defenders out of 205. A significant portion are defenders of Mariupol and “Azovstal”, including servicemembers of “Azov”. It was also possible to return a defender who was convicted in Russia and then pardoned. Another two of the released celebrate their birthday on that very day: they turned 40 and 36 years old. In addition, 21 defenders had or will soon have a birthday in May. Among those returned are five people with the same last name. According to preliminary data, among those released on 15 May from Russian captivity are 89 marines of Mykolaiv’s 36th Separate Marine Brigade. Among them – 11 officers.

The return of the marines of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade is of particular significance for Mykolaiv and the entire region, as many servicemembers of this brigade took part in the defense of Mariupol and endured long years of Russian captivity.

Ahead for the released are medical examinations, recovery, rehabilitation and returning to their families. At the same time, Ukraine continues work on the next stages of exchanges, as Ukrainian military and civilians still remain in Russian captivity.

Previously we wrote:

• During the exchange on 24 April, 8 prisoners of war from the Mykolaiv region returned — nearly fifty recently
• Finally home: 193 Ukrainian defenders will see their loved ones again
• Finally home: 175 defenders and 7 civilians returned from captivity — Easter exchange
• Another 26 families waited: defenders from the Mykolaiv region were freed from captivity
• Mykolaiv marines among 157 freed from captivity