“1,000-for-1,000” prisoner swap: Who Ukraine brought home from Russian captivity

Ambulances carrying wounded and ill defenders were the first to arrive from the border. Among them was Anatolii Zemlianyi, a soldier from the 2nd Assault Brigade, who was captured with a leg injury.

“A VOG grenade exploded in my leg during fighting,” Zemlianyi said. “Before I was released, I spent eight months in a hospital in Donetsk. There was no proper treatment there. In captivity, we had to drink water from puddles.” His brother and sister are waiting for him at home, but he hasn’t told them yet that he is back.

Iryna and her daughter Milana were reunited with their husband and father, Viktor, who had spent 21 months in captivity.

“I waited for you!” Milana shouted as she ran to her father.

“And I waited for you, sweetheart. There’s no better feeling than coming home,” he said, holding her tightly. His wife gently stroked his head and whispered, “The most handsome, our most handsome dad.”

Some of the recently released soldiers found it hard to believe so many people waited for them. Viktor, a soldier from the 41st Mechanized Brigade, was mobilized in May 2023, and captured in May 2024. He returned home in May, 2025. He struggled to talk with many relatives who had gathered, hoping for news about their missing or imprisoned loved ones.

“I understand how hard it is not to have your relatives here. And even if I saw someone, I don’t remember. Thank you all for welcoming us. Honestly, I didn’t expect it. I already called my sister and my father, thank God he’s alive. He’s quite old. I spoke with my brother-in-law, too. I heard my girls squealing on the phone.”

This group of freed soldiers includes members of Ukraine’s Armed Forces—specifically, the Navy, Air Force, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and State Special Transport Service. They defended Ukraine in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv region, Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv.

Second day of the prisoner swap: Ukraine brings back 307 more defenders

The large-scale “1000-for-1000” exchange between Russia and Ukraine has now concluded. In total, 880 Ukrainian soldiers and 120 civilian hostages held by Russia have returned home.

On May 24, as part of the second day of the large-scale prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, 307 Ukrainian defenders were brought home.

Denys Moroz is one them. A soldier from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade , he was captured in April 2022 near the village of Shevchenkove in the Kharkiv region. For more than two years, Moroz has had no contact with his family, who remain in Russian-occupied territory.

“I still don’t know who is waiting for me at home—my relatives are on the left bank of the Kherson region. The last I heard from them was back in February 2023, when they were still in occupied territory,” Denys said.

Dozens of families gathered to meet the buses carrying the newly freed soldiers. For some, the reunions brought answers after years of silence. Marina Lukyanenko, whose husband Yevhen has been missing since the early days of Russia’s full-scale invasion, learned for the first time that he had been seen alive in captivity.

“He disappeared near the village of Pisky. I brought two photos with me—he wasn’t recognized in one, but someone identified him in the other,” she said. “That gives me hope. A lot of soldiers went missing in Pisky. Only two have been returned so far.”

Over the course of two days, Ukraine has secured the return of 577 military personnel and 120 civilians held by Russia. Another 303 Ukrainians are expected to be released on May 25 as part of the third phase of the ongoing “1,000-for-1,000” exchange.

Day One: 390 Ukrainians returned from Russian captivity

On May 23, 2025, the first day of a large-scale “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner exchange, 390 Ukrainians, 270 servicemen and 120 civilians, were released and returned home. Among those released were three women and 387 men. Most of them had been held in Russian captivity for three years.

Families of former war prisoners and the missing servicemen welcomed them. But not all were reunited — some continue to wait. Several released soldiers were able to share information about comrades who remain behind bars in Russia.

The “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner exchange is expected to continue in stages over the course of three consecutive days.

Those released include personnel of Ukraine’s Armed Forces — the Navy, Air Assault Forces, and Territorial Defense — as well as members of the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.

The defenders had fought in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv and Kherson directions, and had also taken part in battles for Chernihiv, Sumy and Kyiv regions.

Text: Albina Karman
Photos: Danylo Dubchak, Albina Karman

Read more: “Alumni” of the torture chambers – after Russian captivity, men are left to heal themselves