A News Agency

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that, as part of the first stage of the prisoner exchange with Russia, 205 Ukrainian fighters from the Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, and State Border Guard Service had returned home.

Referring to the scope of the exchange and the regions where the soldiers fought, Zelensky said, “Today, fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning from Russian captivity. This is the first stage of the 1000-for-1000 exchange.”

Providing information about the condition of the soldiers, Zelensky stated, “Among those released are privates, sergeants, and officers. Most had been in Russian captivity since 2022. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and Azovstal, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv sectors, and at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.”

Thanking those who contributed to the operation, Zelensky concluded his statement by saying, “I thank everyone working to bring our people home.”