First stage of big prisoner swap with Russia: 205 Ukrainians brought back home

Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner exchange on Friday 15 May, during which 205 Ukrainian citizens were brought back home.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)

Quote: "205 Ukrainians are home.

Today, warriors of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service are returning from Russian captivity. This is the first stage of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange.

Among those released are privates, sergeants, and officers. Most of them had been in Russian captivity since 2022. They defended Ukraine in Mariupol and at Azovstal, on the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kyiv fronts, and at the Chornobyl NPP [Nuclear Power Plant – ed.]."

This story is developing, we'll bring you the latest updates as they happen.