“We are all significantly falling short,” Denys Prokopenko comments on the 75th prisoner exchange

On June 5, 2026, the 75th prisoner exchange took place. As part of the exchange, 185 prisoners of war and one civilian – who had been held captive by the Russians since 2022 – returned to Ukraine. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which expressed gratitude to the United States and the UAE for their assistance in organizing the exchange.

“Returning to their homeland are Ukrainians who fought on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv directions, as well as on the Kursk direction,” the Coordination Headquarters noted.

The majority of those returned are defenders who were taken captive back in 2022, including during the defense of Mariupol. Among them is a participant in the unique helicopter operation at Azovstal. President Zelensky wrote:

“I thank everyone who makes this possible: the team responsible for the exchanges, and our partners. And special gratitude goes to the soldiers who replenish our exchange fund – through their strength and their results on the front, they ensure the return of our people home.” 

At the same time, the commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine «Azov,» Denys Prokopenko, reported that 33 soldiers of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine «Azov» were returned in this exchange, of whom only 2 were soldiers of the «Azov» Separate Special Forces Detachment who had defended Mariupol.

“The fact that more than 700 servicemen of the «Azov» brigade have already been in Russian captivity for a fifth year and are included on exchange lists in minimal numbers shows that all of us are significantly falling short,” Prokopenko emphasized.

He recalled that every day in Russian prisons threatens the lives of the captives. Only recently, a farewell was held for «Azov» fighter Oleksandr Krokhmaliuk, who was tortured to death in Russian captivity.

“If we do not increase the pressure on Russia on the issue of exchanging captured Azov fighters, if we do not find new ways and different approaches to solving this problem, the Russians will continue to kill those who took on the first and heaviest blows of this war, drawing colossal Russian forces onto themselves in Mariupol,” the commander of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine «Azov» concluded.