Ukraine and Russia conduct large-scale prisoner exchange

On October 23, 2026, Ukraine and Russia conducted a prisoner exchange, with each side returning 270 personnel. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the return of 270 Ukrainians, including nine civilians and numerous military personnel from the National Guard, Border Guard, Navy, and Territorial Defense Forces. Many of these individuals had been in captivity since 2022, and five returnees were reportedly among those previously considered dead after the July 2022 Olenivka prison attack.

The released Ukrainians include defenders of Mariupol and soldiers from various regions, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, and Chernihiv. Some had reportedly been illegally convicted while in Russian detention. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Russian soldiers involved in the swap are currently in Belarus to receive psychological and medical support before returning to Russia.

This exchange follows previous repatriation efforts, including a notable swap on August 19, 2026, involving 103 Ukrainians. Both nations continue to use these exchanges as a primary method for repatriating soldiers captured during the ongoing conflict.