POWs
POW exchange: 500 servicemen and two civilians returned to Ukraine under agreements reached in Geneva
On 5-6 March 2026, a two-day exchange of prisoners of war took place between Ukraine and Russia. On the first day, 200 military personnel returned to Ukraine, and on the second day, another 300. Separately, two civilians were also returned. The exchange was made possible by agreements reached in Geneva with the mediation of the United States.
Illegal sentences for Azov POWs: two Russian judges were notified of suspicion of a war crime
The Office of the Prosecutor General has notified two judges of the Southern District Military Court of the Russian Federation that they are suspected of committing a war crime – violating the right of prisoners of war to a fair and proper trial (Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
First POW exchange in 4 months: 157 servicemen and civilians return to Ukraine
In a POW exchange conducted on February 5, 2026, 150 military members and seven Ukrainian civilians were released from Russian captivity. The exchange followed an announcement by Steve Witkoff, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy. He reported that an agreement to exchange 314 prisoners was reached during trilateral negotiations between Ukraine, Russia, and the U.S. in the United Arab Emirates.
Zelenskyy: Russia has halted the process of POW exchanges
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Russians have halted the prisoner exchange process because they see no benefit in it for themselves. He told this while speaking to journalists, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
POW exchange on October 2: 185 servicemen and 20 civilians were returned from Russian captivity
On October 2, a combined exchange of prisoners of war took place, bringing 185 military personnel and 20 illegally detained civilians back to Ukraine. Some of them were released in accordance with agreements reached in Istanbul, while others were released as part of the regular exchange.
Prisoners of war and civilians were returned on Ukraine’s Independence Day
On August 24, Ukraine and Russia conducted an exchange of prisoners of war. Eight Ukrainian civilians were also returned. Among those returning home were servicemen from the National Guard, State Border Guard Service, Armed Forces, including soldiers from the Territorial Defense Forces, Air Force, Airborne Forces, and Navy. Almost all of them had been in captivity for more than three years.
“The captives were forced to walk with their heads down”: how the rehabilitation of released Ukrainian soldiers takes place
Ukrainian servicemen released from Russian captivity often arrive at the National Guard’s medical centre in extremely poor condition, both physically and psychologically.
Russia has established a network of torture chambers for Ukrainian prisoners of war.
There are at least five secret prisons in Russia holding Ukrainian POWs, which human rights defenders discovered only in the fourth year of the full-scale war. These facilities have no official addresses or procurement records and may be sites of torture and sexual violence.
SBU presses charges against russian judges for the unlawful sentencing of Azov Brigade POWs
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has charged in absentia two judges of Russia’s Southern District Military Court, Konstantin Prostov and Sergey Obraztsov, with war crimes against Ukrainian prisoners of war.
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