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In the complex landscape of the ongoing conflict, the exchange and capture of hostages remain pivotal issues. Recent events highlight the 72nd prisoner swap, where 175 Ukrainian servicemen and 7 civilians were freed. The Coordination Headquarters has actively facilitated these exchanges, often coinciding with significant national dates, such as Easter. Meanwhile, operational stories unfold, with heroic captures by Ukrainian forces. For instance, Ukrainian unmanned aerial units have been instrumental in securing Russian soldiers' surrenders, showcasing technological superiority. As hostilities continue, the exchange of prisoners — now tallying over 8,000 returnees in four years — underscores diplomatic efforts to resolve humanitarian concerns amid hostilities.

How many Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity so far?

As of the latest reports, over 8,000 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity over the past four years. This significant number reflects ongoing diplomatic and military efforts to facilitate prisoner swaps amid the enduring conflict.

What was the outcome of the recent prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia?

The recent 72nd prisoner exchange resulted in the release of 175 Ukrainian servicemen and 7 civilians. This underscores continuous diplomatic negotiations and the importance of humanitarian efforts in the ongoing conflict.

What role do unmanned aerial units play in capturing hostages?

Unmanned aerial units, particularly Ukrainian drones, have played a critical role in compelling Russian soldiers to surrender. These advanced technologies provide strategic advantages in surveillance, negotiation, and reducing direct combat risks.

Are there any recent examples of Ukrainian forces capturing Russian soldiers?

Yes, Ukrainian forces consistently demonstrate tactical prowess in capturing Russian troops. For instance, special operations units successfully captured Russian soldiers during stabilization efforts in regions like Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, increasing negotiation leverage for exchanges.

What are the challenges faced in the prisoner exchange negotiations?

Negotiations for prisoner exchanges often face challenges such as political tensions, compliance with ceasefire agreements, and logistical complexities. Nonetheless, they remain a crucial component of diplomatic efforts to protect human rights amid conflict.

How does Ukraine ensure the safety of returned hostages?

After returning from captivity, Ukrainian authorities focus on providing medical care, psychological assistance, and reintegration programs to help former hostages recover from their ordeals and reintegrate into civilian life.

What impact do successful capture operations have on the conflict?

Successful capture operations by Ukrainian forces not only disrupt enemy communications and morale but also bolster Ukraine’s bargaining power in subsequent prisoner exchange negotiations, showcasing military and strategic competence.

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TOP news hostages

Fighters from the group captured Russians Special forces of DIU’s Legion capture six occupiers in Zaporizhzhia Oblast: "Face down! Relax, f#ck. Nobody will touch you!". VIDEO Military intelligence special forces carried out an effective operation to eliminate and capture enemy personnel on the southern front. As reported by Censor.NET, a video of the combat work of fighters from the Legion unit of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense has been published online. 7 567 8 Previously in trend: Fightings in the Zaporizhzhia direction

The Third Assault Brigade carried out a strike and search operation and took a prisoner Reconnaissance troops from Third Army Corps exposed infiltrated ruscists in forest Soldiers from the Third Army Corps cleared out enemy infantry that had infiltrated the forest within their area of responsibility. 6 670 5 Previously in trend: Elimination of Russian occupying forces Close-quarters combat captured occupiers

49 Ukrainian citizens are released from Russian captivity Civilians who have been held in captivity are entitled to mobilization deferral – Defense Ministry Civilians who were held in Russian captivity are eligible for a mobilization deferral. 1 335 3 Previously in trend: mobilization Mobilization deferral

тюрьма Over 140 Ukrainian citizens arrested by Russia on politically motivated charges - MFA More than 140 Ukrainian citizens currently remain illegally detained by Russia on politically motivated charges, and this number continues to grow. 1 327 3 Previously in trend: Ukrainian hostages in Russia

Prisoner exchange on 11 April Coordination Headquarters on exchange: most of those freed are defenders of Mariupol. Twenty-five officers whom the Russian Federation had refused to hand over have been returned Today, on the eve of the joyous Easter holiday, the 72nd prisoner exchange took place. As a result of the negotiation process, 175 Ukrainian servicemen and 7 civilians have been returned from Russian captivity. 4 776 10 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

Fighters from the 8th Special Operations Regiment cleared the wooded area of enemy infantry Fighters from 8th Special Operations Regiment cleared forest strip and eliminated occupier who refused to surrender. VIDEO Ukrainian infantrymen from the 8th Regiment of the Special Operations Forces, part of the "UA_REG TEAM" unit, carried out a sweep of wooded terrain on one section of the front line. 5 495 5 Previously in trend: Elimination of Russian occupying forces Close-quarters combat

лубінець Already 2,598 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity, - Lubinets Together with 22 Ukrainian soldiers who were freed from Russian captivity, 2,598 Ukrainians have already returned home. 767 2 War in Ukraine

полон,викрадення Verkhovna Rada called on international organisations to intensify efforts to return Ukrainian prisoners held by Russian Federation The Verkhovna Rada adopted draft resolution 11034, which appeals to international institutions, parliaments and governments of foreign countries, and international non-governmental organisations to intensify efforts to release and return to Ukraine all captured and illegally detained citizens, especially Ukrainian journalists. 461 2 Society

росіянин здається у полон Soldiers of 225th SAB captured surviving Russian stormtrooper The soldiers of the 225th separate assault battalion destroyed the enemy assault group and captured the surviving occupier. 10 466 2 Previously in trend: War

прайс,нед The State Department is aware of three volunteers, US citizens missing in Ukraine - Price State Department spokesman Ned Price said Thursday that the United States has information about three American volunteers who went missing during the fighting in Ukraine. 2 189 2 War in Ukraine

полонені,обмін More 100 Ukrainians returned from captivity: exclusive SSU video The Security Service of Ukraine showed exclusive footage of the exchange of prisoners of war that took place on April 10. 5 984 2 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

Омбудсмен України Дмитро Лубінець Situation with return of civilians from captivity in Russian Federation is extremely difficult. Ukraine needs the involvement of third countries - Lubinets Ukraine needs help from third countries to return Ukrainian civilians from Russian captivity. So far, only 151 civilians have returned home. 768 2 Previously in trend: War

The Russians are lying in a row Five occupiers were captured by fighters from "Chervona Kalyna" brigade during sweep of private homestead in Pokrovsk direction. VIDEO Ukrainian defenders continue to successfully clear settlements near the front line and take enemy personnel prisoner. According to Censor.NET, in the Pokrovsk direction, fighters from the special reconnaissance company of the ‘Chervona Kalyna’ brigade captured five Russian occupiers. 4 633 4 Previously in trend: Combat operations in the Pokrovsk direction

дії,бойові Fighters of 72nd SMB captured enemy position and captured two occupants Ukrainian soldiers from the 72nd SMB named after Chornyh Zaporizhtsiv captured enemy positions and captured at least two Russian invaders. 13 478 2 Previously in trend: War

Prisoner exchange Most prisoners returned today were illegally held in Chechnya – Coordination Headquarters Today, the 73rd prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place. It became a continuation of the Easter exchange and the implementation of the relevant agreements. 3 650 3 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

The FSB actively uses the families of prisoners for PSYOPs Russians use relatives of captured and missing soldiers to gather intelligence and carry out special tasks Russian special services are actively hunting down the families of captured and missing Ukrainian military personnel. 889 2 Previously in trend: Detention conditions of POWs Ukrainians in Russian captivity

Звільнені з полону воїни ICC involved in investigation of torture of Ukrainian prisoners by enemy - Prosecutor General’s Office The International Criminal Court is involved in the investigation of the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilians held in the temporarily occupied territories and in Russia. 1 212 2

war National Guardsmen captured Russian invaders in Kupyansk sector Soldiers of the 15th "Kara-Dag" Brigade of the 1st "Azov" Corps of the National Guard captured the occupiers in the Kupyansk direction. The infantrymen conducted a "reception" of enemy personnel. The occupiers surrendered without firing a shot. 3 831 2 Previously in trend: Situation at front

A soldier leads the captured Russians Four occupiers killed, six captured: paratroopers of 71st Airborne Brigade defeated assault group of Russian Federation near Korchakivka An attempt by Russian assault troops to dislodge Ukrainian defenders from their positions near the village of Korchakivka in the Sumy region ended in defeat. According to Censor.NET, soldiers of the 71st Separate Airborne Brigade of the Airborne Forces carried out a brilliant operation to neutralise the Russian assault group. 5 738 2 Previously in trend: Fighting in Sumy region

богачук,акція,полонені Action in support of civilian victims of enforced disappearances held in Kyiv On 17 October, the anniversary of the ’great women’s exchange’, an event in support of civilian prisoners was held on Maidan Nezalezhnosti in Kyiv. 2 016 2 Incidents

Occupiers surrender Five occupiers surrender to soldiers of 5th SAB Units of the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Separate Assault Brigade successfully conducted assault operations in one of the frontline areas. 3 399 2 Previously in trend: captured occupiers

дмитро,лубінець Discussed issue of visiting prisoners in Olenivka by Ukrainian side - Lubinets held talks with Moskalkova Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets met with Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova. 1 725 2 War in Ukraine

Prisoner exchanges will continue Prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia will continue, - Zelenskyy Following negotiations between delegations from Ukraine, Russia, and the US in Abu Dhabi, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that prisoner exchanges would continue. 607 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

полон,заручник About 950 Ukrainian civilians are in Russian captivity - human rights defenders To date, one hundred places have been identified in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine and in the Russian Federation, where about a thousand Ukrainian civilians are being held. 621 1 War in Ukraine

POW swap Ukraine and Russia agree on preliminary timeline and mechanisms for new POW swap – DIU During negotiations held in Istanbul on June 2, Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement on a new prisoner exchange. Specifically, the sides coordinated the timeline and mechanisms for implementation. 1 213 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

swap 4306 Ukrainians have already been brought back from Russian captivity – Lubinets Since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 4306 Ukrainians have been brought back from Russian captivity. 1 005 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

Prisoner exchanges release missing persons Almost every exchange includes prisoners with status of missing persons - Lubinets In almost every exchange of prisoners of war with the Russian Federation, there are persons who have the status of missing under special circumstances. 986 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

Prisoner swap on April 19 Step-by-step plan agreed for implementing 1000-for-1000 prisoner swap – Umerov On May 19, 2025, during a briefing to the President of Ukraine, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov provided a detailed report on the results of the talks in Türkiye and Ukraine’s next steps. 1 010 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap Peace negotiations

оленівка 150 citizens of Ukraine are being held in occupied Olenivka, - Lubinets Currently, 150 citizens of Ukraine, including civilians and military personnel, are being held in the occupied Olenivka of the Donetsk region. 713 1 Previously in trend: Russian aggression against Ukraine War

POW swap More than 8,000 Ukrainians returned from captivity over four years – Coordination Headquarters Over four years since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, 8,050 Ukrainians have been returned from Russian captivity. 531 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap

лубінець Meeting with Moskalkova on releasing civilians from Russian captivity is scheduled for January, - Lubinets Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets intends to hold a meeting with Russian Ombudsman Tatyana Moskalkova in January to discuss possibility of releasing civilians from Russian captivity. 1 389 1 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap War

Locations in Russia where Ukrainian prisoners are being held have been identified 186 locations where Ukrainian prisoners are being held in Russia have been identified, where representatives of Red Cross and other monitoring missions are not allowed, according to Coordination Headquarters Russian special services have created fake organisations that imitate humanitarian missions in places where Ukrainian prisoners are held. As a result, international human rights organisations are not allowed to visit Ukrainian prisoners. 868 1 Previously in trend: Detention conditions of POWs

Russians are being taken prisoner DIU soldiers captured two occupiers in Zaporizhzhia sector Soldiers from the "Stugna" unit, part of the "Timur Special Forces" of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, captured two Russian Federation servicemen whilst carrying out stabilisation operations in the Zaporizhzhia sector. 4 145 1 Previously in trend: Fightings in the Zaporizhzhia direction

полонені Russian media reports on new exchange of prisoners Another exchange of captured servicemen between Ukraine and Russia took place today. 4 226 0 Previously in trend: Prisoner swap War

Конференція в Канаді More than 45 countries signed commitment to return civilian and POWs captured by Russia to Ukraine - Coordination Headquarters for Treatment of POWs In Montreal, during a ministerial conference on the human dimension of war, more than 45 countries signed a commitment to return civilians, POWs and children captured by Russia to Ukraine. 628 0

Акція Порожні стільці у Києві 15 листопада 2024 року "Empty Chairs" event in support of captured and missing journalists and artists held in Kyiv On 15 November, a human rights event "Empty Chairs" was held on St Sophia Square in Kyiv in support of journalists, writers, cultural figures and human rights activists who have gone missing, been imprisoned or are in Russian captivity. 767 0

обмін Almost 2,000 Ukrainians have already been returned from Russian captivity as result of exchanges, - Defence Intelligence As a result of the exchanges, Ukraine returned almost 2,000 of its citizens from Russian captivity. 1 045 0 Previously in trend: Russian aggression against Ukraine

headquarters, coordination, coordination center Ukrainians released from captivity will be able to help establish places of detention of prisoners - Coordination Center The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War has launched a feature that allows released Ukrainians to help identify the whereabouts of other prisoners. 660 0 Previously in trend: Ukrainians in Russian captivity

полон,заручник Russian occupants are taking prisoners from Kherson under a guise of "evacuation", - City Council According to available information, invaders are taking prisoners from temporarily occupied Kherson under a guise of "evacuation". 3 536 0 Previously in trend: War

полон,катування,тортури 2,324 Ukrainians were freed from Russian captivity, - Coordination Headquarters The Coordinating Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports that 2,324 Ukrainians have already been released from Russian captivity during its work. 1 910 0 Previously in trend: Russian aggression against Ukraine War

National Guard of Ukraine "Rubizh" fighters captured an enemy scout in Donetsk Oblast Fighters of Rubizh Brigade capture occupier scout who was hiding in Bilytske. VIDEO A reconnaissance group of the Special Purpose Reconnaissance Company of the 4th Operational Assignment Brigade Rubizh of the National Guard of Ukraine captured a Russian occupier during a clearing operation in buildings in the settlement of Bilytske, Donetsk Oblast. 4 069 2 Previously in trend: captured occupiers Situation in the Donetsk region

Ukraine’s defence forces secure key areas of Vovchansk Southern part and eastern and western outskirts of Vovchansk are under control of Defence Forces – 16th Army Corps Ukraine’s Defence Forces control the eastern, western and southern parts of Vovchansk, as well as the settlements of Lyman, Vilcha and Synelnykove in the Kharkiv sector. 900 0 Previously in trend: Battles in Vovchansk

The execution of Ukrainian soldiers by the occupiers Facts of enemy’s killing of 306 Ukrainian prisoners of war since start of full-scale invasion have been documented, - Office of Prosecutor General Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war, 116 criminal investigations have documented instances of the occupiers’ intentional killing of 306 Ukrainian prisoners of war. 541 0 Previously in trend: Execution of Ukrainian POWs