Ukraine brings home 300 more soldiers and two civilians on second day of POW swap — 500 freed in total over two days

Ukraine completed the final stage of the Geneva-agreed prisoner exchange on 6 March, freeing 300 soldiers and two civilians from Russian captivity, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reported. Together with the 200 freed on 5 March, the two-day swap brought 500 Ukrainians home — the only concrete result of the Geneva talks, where negotiations over territory remain deadlocked.

300 soldiers and two civilians freed on swap's second final day

The freed servicemembers represent every branch of Ukraine's military: ground forces, airborne assault troops, the navy, Territorial Defense Forces, the air force, the Unmanned Systems Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service. Among them are soldiers and sergeants as well as officers.

The youngest freed prisoner is 26 — captured at 22 in 2022. The oldest is 60. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said most had been held for over a year, with some in Russian captivity since 2022. 

"They defended Ukraine in various sectors — Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and in Mariupol," he said.

Two civilian Ukrainians were also returned on the final day of the exchange.

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Ukraine brings home 200 POWs, including Mariupol defenders held four years in Russian captivity — in only real result of Geneva talks

Geneva's only result

The exchange was agreed during recent talks in Geneva. The US-pushed peace negotiations have been de facto stuck over Russia's maximalist demands, but Kyiv and Moscow committed to the swap regardless. Ukraine and Russia each released 300 prisoners on 6 March, following a 200-for-200 exchange the previous day.

The Coordination Headquarters credited the United States and the United Arab Emirates for their mediation. Zelenskyy thanked Washington directly: 

"It is important that the agreements worked."

All freed defenders will be taken to medical centers for examination, treatment, and rehabilitation, and will receive documents and due payments, the Coordination Headquarters said.

Running total

Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets confirmed that 500 Ukrainians returned home over the two days of this exchange. He said yesterday that 6,622 Ukrainians had been brought back from captivity since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022 — a figure that now stands at 6,924 with today's release.