**Ukraine Brings Back 25 Captives from Russia**
Ukraine has successfully brought back 25 of its citizens, including some defenders of the Azovstal steel plant, from Russian captivity. President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on January 15.
Zelensky said that returning Ukrainian prisoners is a top priority for Ukraine. He promised to keep working until all Ukrainians are brought back home. The returned POWs were captured during the defense of several key areas, including Mariupol and other parts of Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Some of those who were released have serious injuries or illnesses. The prisoner exchange was done on a 25 for 25 basis, meaning that Ukraine received back 25 people in return for releasing 25 Russian prisoners.
This is not the first time that Ukraine has conducted prisoner exchanges with Russia. In recent years, Ukraine and Russia agreed to prioritize wounded POWs in future exchanges. Ukraine also expressed gratitude to the United Arab Emirates for helping to mediate between the two countries.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, nearly 4,000 people have been released, including 1,358 in 2024. This is a significant improvement from last year when 356 people were released through prisoner exchanges. Ukraine has conducted 11 such exchanges over the past year.