Nearly 200 Ukrainians return home after POW swap
In the latest prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, 185 Ukrainian servicemembers and 20 civilians are returning from Russian captivity, Ukrainian Defense Intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov announced on Oct. 2.
Documenting the POW swap, NV correspondent Serhii Okunev noted that several of the returning troops were seriously wounded. According to Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, nearly all those released had been in Russian hands since 2022.
Earlier, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said a previous exchange on Aug. 14 freed a Ukrainian colonel who had served as a border guard in Mariupol and fought against Russian forces since 2014.
Budanov added that this time’s exchange included a man who spent 4,013 days in a Russian prison, a primary school teacher detained in 2019, and a young man captured in 2016 at age 17.
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