Ukraine secures release of POWs from units excluded from all previous swaps
As part of the 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine has recovered soldiers from 46 military units that had previously seen none of their members returned, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POW) reported on May 26.
"The return of fighters from these units has long been blocked by the Russian side for various reasons," the agency said in a statement, describing the outcome as a significant breakthrough.
Of the 1,000 Ukrainian service members repatriated, over 300 had been held in Russian captivity since 2022. All those returned were soldiers or sergeants, many of whom had fought in the most intense areas of the front line, the agency added.
The exchange — agreed during the May 16 peace talks in Istanbul — was carried out in three phases between May 23 and 25.
It marked the largest single prisoner swap during the war and the only concrete result from the first direct negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow in nearly three years.
The high-profile operation has drawn a mix of relief and frustration in Ukraine.
Colonel Denys Prokopenko, commander of the 1st Azov Corps, criticized the exchange as a "mockery," noting that no Azov fighters were included in the release.
Thousands of civilians and military families have spent two years campaigning for the release of Azov servicemen captured during the siege of Mariupol in 2022. The omission has sparked renewed anger among Ukrainians who view Azovstal defenders as national heroes.
The then Azov Brigade's last stand at the Azovstal steel plant is widely credited with delaying Russia's early advance, giving Ukraine time to mobilize and secure international military support.
Andrii Yusov, military intelligence spokesperson and deputy head of Ukraine's POW Coordination Headquarters, emphasized that Kyiv had no influence over which individuals Russia chose to release during the process.
"We could not influence the list. Russia handed over who it was ready to hand over, and Ukraine as well," Yusov said on May 26.
While Ukraine has previously conducted smaller prisoner exchanges, often with the involvement of third-party mediators, the Istanbul-negotiated swap was unprecedented in scale and complexity.
Kyiv has long advocated for an "all-for-all" exchange, but Moscow has so far rejected the proposal.
Read also: Chaos to coordination: The evolution of POW swaps in the Russia-Ukraine war
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