On April 19, a large-scale exchange of prisoners took place between Ukraine and Russia. 277 Ukrainian defenders returned to their families. It’s official reported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, emphasizing that this is one of the happiest news that the state can share.
According to the head of state, among those released are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the Airborne Assault Forces, the Border Service, the State Special Transport Service and the Territorial Defense Forces. Most of them took part in the defense of Mariupol, and also held positions in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson regions. Some of those released were captured as early as the spring of 2022. In particular, a female military servicewoman who was in captivity for almost two years – since May 2022 – returned home.
Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War clarified, that 246 Ukrainian soldiers were returned as part of the exchange. Another 31 people were released outside the exchange mechanism — through negotiation efforts or humanitarian channels. Overall, the exchange was the fourth in 2025 and the 63rd since full-scale war began in 2022.
President Zelensky thanked the United Arab Emirates for their help in carrying out the exchange, calling their mediation an important factor in the return of Ukrainians home.
Among those released are 268 representatives of the ranks and sergeants, as well as nine officers. Among them are military sailors, fighters of the Unmanned Systems Forces, paratroopers and border guards, including four employees of the State Border Service of Ukraine. Two of them are from the 1st border detachment, two more from the 23rd detachment of the Maritime Guard. They defended Mariupol and were captured in the spring of 2022.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation confirmed the fact of the exchange, saying that 246 Russian servicemen had returned from Ukrainian captivity. It was also reported that Ukraine handed over 15 wounded servicemen to Russia in exchange for 31 Ukrainian wounded prisoners who needed urgent medical care. This was reported by the Russian state media with reference to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
The current exchange has become the largest this year. For comparison, on March 19, the exchange took place in the “175 on 175” format, during which Ukrainian military personnel from various branches of the military returned home, including those who participated in battles in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Zaporizhzhia regions, as well as defenders of Mariupol and participants in the Kursk operation.
In general, according to the Coordination Headquarters, since the beginning of the full-scale aggression of Russia in March 2022, Ukraine has already returned 4,552 of its citizens, both military and civilian. Outside the framework of official exchanges, another 529 people were released from Russian captivity.
The headquarters also reported that all freed Ukrainians will undergo a mandatory medical examination, will receive the necessary treatment, sets of basic necessities, cash payments for the entire time of their stay in captivity, and one-time financial assistance. In addition, full rehabilitation and a social reintegration program await them after a long period of isolation.
We will remind, on April 18, the bodies of another 909 Ukrainian defenders who died were returned to Ukraine. Repatriation of the dead is another important direction of the state’s work in order to properly honor every defender.
