Key facts
- Seven Ukrainian civilians unlawfully held by Russia for years have been returned.
- The civilians, aged between 35 and 66, were detained during the occupation of various Ukrainian regions in 2022.
- One civilian was abducted due to his sons serving in Ukraine's military.
- Russia confirmed the return of seven of its own civilians as part of the exchange.
- The return was achieved through direct negotiations between the human rights commissioners of Ukraine and Russia.
Ukraine has successfully negotiated the return of seven civilians who had been unlawfully held by Russia for years, according to Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine's Commissioner for Human Rights. The civilians, aged between 35 and 66, were detained by Russian forces during the occupation of various Ukrainian regions, including Mariupol and parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022.
Lubinets stated that one of the returned individuals was abducted from his home because his sons serve in Ukraine's military, while another was seized on February 24, 2022, the same day Russia initiated its full-scale invasion. The group also includes a volunteer who joined the Tyra's Angels medical evacuation unit in Mariupol in 2022 and was detained on the same day as its commander, Yuliia Paievska, known by the call sign "Taira," who was released in 2022.
Russia's Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova confirmed that seven Russian civilians were also returned to Russia as part of the exchange. Five of these Russian civilians were from Kursk Oblast, areas of which were briefly held by Ukrainian forces in 2024. Lubinets indicated that the successful return was achieved through direct negotiations with Lantratova, who replaced Tatyana Moskalkova in May. Lubinets noted that communication with the new Russian ombudsman has been a fresh start.
Lubinets expressed gratitude to Ukraine's Security Service (SBU), the Foreign Intelligence Service, and other agencies involved in the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War. He affirmed Ukraine's commitment to continuing efforts to bring home all civilians and military personnel held by Russia. This exchange follows Ukraine's repatriation of 160 prisoners of war just a day prior, highlighting these exchanges as one of the few remaining communication channels between Kyiv and Moscow.