“An unwavering priority”: 186 Ukrainians return home in major prisoner swap with Russia
Several of the freed Ukrainians were detained in 2022, with some taken during the battles for Mariupol and Azovstal.
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POWs
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Russia held them for years —Ukraine just brought home 182 prisoners, including Mariupol’s defenders
Among them is a man abducted on his way to his father.
43% of Russian POWs rated Ukrainians as less than fully human — and Kremlin propaganda explains why
The more a captured Russian soldier believed Kremlin narratives, the more likely he was to dehumanize Ukrainians on a validated scientific scale — a finding researchers say helps build the legal case against Russia's propagandists as abettors of aggression.
337 Ukrainian POWs “consciously and brutally” executed by Russia – nearly all others tortured
Ombudsman calls torture a state weapon at UN Human Rights Council session.
Severed ears, tortured animals, and orders to kill POWs: Leaked chats expose Russian general’s brutality
Archive links deputy commander of Russia's 20th Army to systematic POW killings.
Russian troops tied POW’s hands, beat him, then shot him, Ukrainian prosecutors say
Incident near Pokrovsk adds to pattern of illegal executions documented across frontline.
Five Ukrainian soldiers surrendered. Russian troops shot them lying face-down anyway
Soldiers were unarmed and lying on the ground when Russian forces opened fire with automatic rifles on 19 November.
Russia eliminates monitoring of facilities where beatings, electrocution becomes standard practice against Ukrainian POWs
Russia plans even worse crimes against Ukrainians after quitting a torture convention, says the Ukrainian ombudsman.
Kherson’s former mayor freed from Russian captivity on Independence Day, while current mayor still suffers behind bars
Mykolaienko's heroic decision to refuse early release in 2022 to save a critically ill cellmate reveals the moral choices facing Ukrainian prisoners.
Ukraine swapped 84 prisoners with Russia — and got its legendary minesweeper captain back
Among those freed were Mariupol defenders and civilians held for nearly a decade, Zelenskyy said.
“We’ll cut it off and rape you”: Ukrainian prisoner threatened with castration during interrogation in Russian captivity
Anatoliy Tutov survived four rounds of beatings and sexual torture, and released with broken ribs, internal bruises, and fractured bones.
Investigation: Russia blew up 53 Ukrainian POWs in Olenivka prison, then honored killers with medals
The same men who rigged the barracks were officially praised for “combat duties.”
“Ah, this one’s dead? Good,” said Russian Olenivka prison chief — and continued sipping coffee
As wounded Ukrainian soldiers begged for help, their jailers watched and smoked.
Ukrainian soldier dies weeks after release from Russian captivity with his organs failing due to torture
He met his grandchildren. He hoped to live.
Ukraine hits targets 100 kilometers behind Russian lines, destroys 20 armored vehicles and 89 artillery systems
Oil depots burnt, command posts fell, and 423 Russian pieces of equipment were reduced to ashes.
Some of these defenders were just 21 when captured in Mariupol—three years later they step back onto Ukrainian soil
One was guarding Chornobyl. Another fought in Sumy.
Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1203: Norway delivers twice promised F-16s to Ukraine
A Ukrainian doctor broke medical ethics protocols to document and expose the systematic torture of returned prisoners of war by Russian forces.
Russo-Ukrainian war, day 1185: Ukraine exchanges 390 POWs in largest prisoner swap
Meanwhile, Moscow reveals true war aims for "unified state" as Ukraine's drone strikes hit deep into Russian territory.
Ukrainian defenders who survived battle of Kyiv and over 1,000 days in Russian captivity return home in largest prisoner swap of war
This marks the first step in a deal to trade 1000 lives for 1000 between Ukraine and Russia, achieved in Turkiye.
“You run, they knock you down, and beat you with rebar”: Ukrainian POW’s 3-year hell in Russian captivity
Russia tortured him for 1,000 days. Now he is free, but his life is gone.