POWs

Ukraine says Russia blackmails POW families to register Starlink terminals

Looking for a way out of a “tight spot” after illegal Starlink terminals were shut off, Russians have turned their attention to the families of Ukrainian prisoners of war, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported on Feb. 10.

10 February, 12:21 PM

First POW swap in months took place in record cold

Ukraine and Russia conducted a long-awaited prisoner-of-warexchange on Feb. 5, the first in several months after rumors about the corresponding negotiations had circulated since December 2025.

6 February, 08:09 PM

Ukraine returns 157 from Russian captivity after long pause

157 Ukrainian citizens — mostly soldiers held in Russian captivity since 2022 — in a major prisoner exchange after a prolonged pause, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Feb. 5.

5 February, 04:07 PM

Ukraine and the U.S. are working on peace-deal terms covering POW releases and the return of abducted children

Ukraine is seeking to ensure that a peace agreement includes provisions for the release of all Ukrainian prisoners held by Russia under an “all-for-all” formula, as well as the full return of all Ukrainian children taken by Russia, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Nov. 24.

24 November 2025, 03:06 PM

Russian forces executed five unarmed Ukrainian POWs on the front line — DeepState video

Russian occupying troops executed five unarmed Ukrainian prisoners of war on the front line, according to footage published by the DeepState monitoring project on Nov. 22.

22 November 2025, 05:04 PM

American fighter in Ukrainian ranks politely captures four Russians

An American volunteer fighting with Ukraine’s 63rd Mechanized Brigade “Steel Lions” captured four Russian soldiers in Serebrianskyi Forest, Luhansk Oblast, in footage released by the brigade on Telegram on Nov. 20.

20 November 2025, 05:52 PM

EU to sanction 10 Russians for torturing journalist Victoria Roshchyna and other Ukrainians

The European Union has prepared sanctions against ten Russian nationals involved in the torture of Ukrainian POWs, mistreatment of detainees, and politically motivated persecution of journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition figures, according to a draft EU Council decision obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on Nov. 12.

12 November 2025, 06:50 PM

Umerov in Istanbul to restart Ukraine-Russia prisoner swaps

Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council Secretary Rustem Umerov arrived in Istanbul on Nov. 11 to restart stalled prisoner swaps with Russia, he announced in an X post, adding that negotiations will continue in Turkiye and the Middle East.

11 November 2025, 07:35 PM

Kenya asks for Kyiv’s help in repatriating nationals recruited by Russia

Kenyan President William Ruto asked Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to help secure the return of Kenyan citizens whom Russia has illegally recruited to fight in Ukraine, Ruto said in a Twitter post on Nov. 6.

7 November 2025, 11:55 PM

‘Doctor Evil’: EU sanctions Mordovia prison medic who tortured Ukrainian POWs

The European Union has imposed sanctions on Illia Sorokin, a doctor at Correctional Colony No. 10 in Russia’s Republic of Mordovia, accusing him of torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war and withholding critical medical care, according to Radio Svoboda.

24 October 2025, 04:20 PM

Ukraine outlines two key directions for POW exchanges with Russia

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is currently operating in two areas — exchanges based on the Istanbul agreements and so-called “numbered exchanges,” according to Bohdan Okhrimenko, head of the headquarters secretariat on Oct. 21.

21 October 2025, 04:51 PM

Indian citizen surrenders to Ukrainian troops after just three days on front - video

Soldiers of the AFU 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade (Steel Lions) captured an Indian citizen fighting for Russia, the military wrote on Oct. 7.

7 October 2025, 02:46 PM

Chornobyl defenders return home in POW swap

Ukraine and Russia concluded another prisoner-of-war exchange on Oct. 2, which saw 185 Ukrainian servicemembers returning home, some of whom were captured as far back as 2022.

3 October 2025, 10:33 PM

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.

2 October 2025, 08:33 PM

Nearly 90% of freed Ukrainian POWs report torture, OSCE report says

Russia’s systematic use of torture against Ukrainian prisoners-of-war is a violation of international humanitarian law, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said in a report released on Sept. 22.

27 September 2025, 02:13 AM

Zelenskyy: Ukraine working to recover 1,000 POWs from Russia, lists in progress

Ukraine is working with Russia on a potential exchange involving another 1,000 prisoners of war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a press briefing on Sept. 19, according to Interfax-Ukraine.

20 September 2025, 08:42 PM

Azov Corps takes 69 Russian prisoners in Dobropillia battles

Over a month of fighting near Dobropillia in Donetsk Oblast, where Russian forces tried to break through in mid-August, fighters from the Azov Corps and adjacent units captured 69 Russian infantrymen, according to a video published on Sept. 9 on the formation's page.

9 September 2025, 03:08 PM

Ukrainian troops free village, destroy Russian platoon near Dobropillia

Ukrainian Defense Forces successfully cleared a village in the Dobropillia sector of Russian troops, the Dnipro Operational-Strategic Troop Grouping reported on Telegram on Sept. 5.

5 September 2025, 03:40 PM

Sybiha on Russia quitting anti-torture pact: ‘Territory of lawlessness’

Russia’s withdrawal from the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture shows the country has become a “territory of lawlessness,” Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on Aug. 27.

27 August 2025, 02:16 PM

No quick reunion with family: what really happens to Russian POWs after exchanges — Coordination HQ

Russian prisoners of war returning home after exchanges face interrogations and redeployment to the front lines, not treatment, rehabilitation, or family reunions, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. The state project I Want to Live, backed by the Defense Ministry and Ukraine’s HUR military intelligence, released the account.

25 August 2025, 02:05 PM

POWs

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