Mariupol defenders

Ukraine brings home 115 Mariupol defenders from Russian captivity

Among those released from Russian captivity in the latest prisoner exchange were 115 defenders of Mariupol and 58 officers, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.

26 June, 05:00 PM

Ukrainian defender meets son for first time after Russian captivity

Ukrainian defender Volodymyr Kolbasov, 26, met his 3-year-old son for the first time after returning home from Russian captivity during the second stage of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange on June 5.

8 June, 05:25 PM

20 Azov fighters freed in first phase of 1,000-for-1,000 POW swap

20 Azov Corps fighters, including 19 defenders of Mariupol, returned from Russian captivity on May 15 as part of the first phase of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, Commander of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko reported on Facebook.

15 May, 05:00 PM

Mariupol defenders, civilian hostages freed in Aug. 14 prisoner swap

Ukraine welcomed home defenders of Mariupol and long-held civilian hostages in an Aug. 14 prisoner exchange with Russia, witnessed on the ground by The New Voice of Ukraine journalist Serhiy Okniev, who reported from the site as families embraced loved ones returning from years in captivity.

15 August 2025, 04:55 PM

Ukraine frees Mariupol defender who evacuated ship from Crimea in 2014

During a new prisoner exchange with Russia, Mariupol defender Oleksandr Boychuk, commander of Ukraine’s only raid minesweeper Henichesk, returned home, Ukrainian journalist and military reporter Bohdan Kutiepov reported on Facebook on Aug. 14.

14 August 2025, 06:58 PM

Ukrainian soldiers, civilians freed in latest prisoner swap with Russia

Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange on July 4, returning a group of Ukrainian defenders to their homeland—many of whom had been in captivity since 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

4 July 2025, 02:49 PM

Ukrainian POWs from Mariupol and beyond return home

A new prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on Friday, June 20, with dozens of Ukrainian defenders returning home after more than two years in captivity, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

20 June 2025, 02:52 PM

Ukraine and Russia conduct fourth POW exchange in a week

Ukraine and Russia carried out another prisoner exchange on June 14, marking the fourth such operation in the past week, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced.

14 June 2025, 04:48 PM

Ukrainian soldier shares shocking weight loss after nearly three years in Russian captivity

Ukrainian defender Ivan Petrovskyi returned from Russian captivity, where he spent 1037 days, on March 19 as part of one of the largest prisoner exchanges to date, he wrote on Instagram and showed his photo on March 23.

24 March 2025, 02:38 PM

Russian proxy court sentences nine Ukrainian soldiers

On Wednesday, Dec. 11, a so-called "court" of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) issued sentences against nine Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers who defended Mariupol during the early stages of Russia's full-scale invasion, according to the Mariupol City Council.

11 December 2024, 04:27 PM

Mariupol defenders