On Independence Day home from Russian captivity, military and civilian Ukrainians returned (photo)

To spread: Ukraine and Russia have held a new stage of exchange of prisoners today. Among those who managed to return home are the Armed Forces fighters who have been held captive since 2022. The warriors of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Service, as well as civilians, were returned home, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said.

In particular, the journalist of UNIAN Agency Dmitry Khiluk, captured by Russian invaders in March 2022, and Melitopol journalist Mark Kalius, detained in August 2023, returned to Ukraine. "Exchanges are ongoing. And maybe this is due to our soldiers who are replenishing the exchange fund for Ukraine. Our team working daily. Partners who help," said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. He also thanked for the help of the United Arab Emirates.

Among the released military are representatives of almost all forces of defense-territorial defense, landing, air, naval, National Guard, State Border Guard Service. As the intelligence agencies, the servicemen who returned home, defended the city of Mariupol, Lugansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kyiv and Sumy directions in the General Directorate of Intelligence.

It is known that among the released civilians - the doctor Sergey Kovalev from the battalion "Hospital", which saved the lives of the Armed Forces and civilians during the siege at the Azovstal plant. Focus also wrote that ex-mayor of Kherson Vladimir Mykolaenko returned from the Russian captivity. He was in captivity for over three years - the Russians stole it in April 2022. The invaders offered cooperation, but Mykolaenko did not agree.

In May 2025, information emerged that Kherson's former mayor in 2022 refused to exchange in favor of another, seriously ill prisoner. After that refusal, the Russians no longer included it in the exchange lists. We will also remind that ex-head of Kherson Volodymyr Mykolaenko was illegally kept in the correctional colony №7 of the city of Pakino of the Vladimir region of the Russian Federation.