AP: Ukrainian POW Serhii Hryhoriev died in Russian prison—he is one of over 200
The tragic toll highlights abuse and neglect in Russian detention facilities, according to Ukrainian and international reports.
Browsing Tag
prisoner exchange
95 posts
No Azov soldiers freed in 1000-for-1000 prisoner swap
More than 800 soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard's Azov unit remain in Russian captivity since 2022.
Zelenskyy: “303 defenders are home” after final stage of 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange
Soldiers from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and more are now receiving medical aid and support. Among the freed are National Guard members, border guards, and Mariupol defenders.
Australia condemns 13-year Russian sentence for Oscar Jenkins in occupied Luhansk after fighting for Ukraine
Russia’s court convicted the Ukrainian Army's soldier of "mercenary activity", sentencing him to a maximum-security penal colony.
Zelenskyy: Meeting with Putin must yield “political victory” not just talks
A complete exchange of all prisoners and ceasefire could be on the table if Russian President Vladimir Putin agrees to meet personally with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Istanbul this week.
205 Ukrainian soldiers return home after years in Russian captivity
Among the released are defenders of the besieged and occupied in 2022 city of Mariupol.
Russia and Ukraine swap 500+ prisoners in what may be the biggest exchange yet
Freed Ukrainians include Mariupol defenders, injured troops, and one woman held since 2022.
Russia and Ukraine set for massive prisoner swap on Saturday as peace talks stall
Russia and Ukraine might exchange nearly 500 prisoners in a deal brokered by the UAE, media reports.
Zelenskyy: Release of all Ukrainian prisoners may be a step towards ending the war
Ukraine is ready to exchange all prisoners with Russia in what President Zelenskyy called a "fair option" during the Support Ukraine summit marking three years of full-scale war.
Captured North Korean soldier in Ukraine requests asylum in South Korea
Seoul is ready to accept the captured North Korean soldier seeking asylum. Ukraine initially considered a POW exchange, but is open to transferring DPRK POWs to South Korea.
Ukraine returned 150 defenders from Russian captivity, some held over 2 years
"For them and their families, this day carries more weight than all the years of waiting," President Zelenskyy said.
“You torture Russians, too” UN says, as skeletal Ukrainian prisoners of war return from captivity
While Ukraine grants UN monitors full access to its POW facilities, Russian detention centers remain completely closed to outside observers. The condition of returning Ukrainian prisoners—marked by visible signs of torture and neglect—underscores mounting allegations of war crimes.
Ukraine wants just peace, won’t accept “peace at any price,” UN envoy says
“Peace through strength is the only effective tool to stop the aggressor and ensure a comprehensive, just, and lasting peace,” Kyslytsya says.
Russia reportedly sentences seven Ukrainian POWs to 16-year terms in trial over Kursk incursion
Russia's use of its judiciary to legitimize prisoner detention and wartime propaganda.
Ukraine brings back Azovstal, Chornobyl defenders from Russian captivity
The successful operation brings the total number of freed Ukrainians to over 3,900.
Ukraine documents 177 POW executions by Russian forces as war crime videos surge
Russian forces increasingly shoot and share their execution of Ukrainian prisoners of war videos, with confirmed cases more than doubling in 2024 amid international inaction.
Russia offers largest yet 630-for-630 POW swap to Ukraine
The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson reportedly announced this, stating that Russia leaves it to Ukraine to decide which Russian military personnel to include in exchanges.
Ukraine captures sole survivor of Russian assault – an Egyptian IT student
Ukrainian forces in Donetsk Oblast capture an Egyptian IT student who, after receiving a Russian passport, Russia conscripted and deployed to the front.
95 Ukrainian defenders return from Russian captivity, including Azov fighters and POWs facing life sentences
Among those released was Maksym Butkevych, a Ukrainian human rights activist and serviceman, who was captured near Luhansk in 2022 and sentenced to 13 years in Russia. The exchange also saw the return of Vladyslav Andrianov, an Azov fighter who survived the Olenivka prison massacre and faced a 25-year sentence in Russia.
Ukrainian journalist Viktoria Roshchyna confirmed dead in Russian captivity
Roshchyna, a journalist working with RFE/RL, went missing in August 2023 while traveling to occupied territories and was slated for a prisoner exchange.