Ukraine has returned 10 of its servicemen from Russian captivity as part of a “special stage” of ongoing prisoner exchanges with Russia, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday.
Two of the soldiers had been previously classified as missing in action since 2024 and eight since 2025, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War said.
The group included soldiers and sailors from the Ukrainian armed forces and national guard who had been fighting in eastern Ukraine’s Donetsk region.
“Today, as part of a special stage of the exchange, we are bringing back 10 of our warriors — through Belarus,” Zelensky wrote on X. “It’s very important that we managed to bring them back.”
It was not immediately clear why Zelensky designated the swap on Monday as “special.”
