13 Oct 2026
Prisoner swap kicks off: 19 Ukrainians set to return home
Another stage of the prisoner swap has kicked off in Donbas – Ukraine is bringing home 19 of its citizens who have been held in captivity in the temporarily occupied territories. Given the quarantine restrictions that are currently in force, those released will be sent for compulsory observation immediately, according to the President's Office. Mutual release of detainees is taking place in the "all for all" format. "Everyone who is illegally detained in the occupied territories or in another country is valuable for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and for the Ukrainian government as a whole. Ukraine must release all its citizens," the office said on Facebook, according to UNIAN.
The statement notes this is the third stage of prisoner release under Zelensky's presidency. The first one was in September last year, when 35 Ukrainians returned home, while 76 citizens returned during the second effort made in December. Negotiations are underway on the release of Ukrainians being held in occupied Crimea and in Russia. "It should be remembered publishing in the media the names of those whom Ukraine is trying to bring back complicates the process of them being put on the lists for release," reads the report.
Latest news
Latest newsGeorgia’s Constitutional Court Continues Case on Banning Opposition Parties: Political Pluralism at Stake
12.Oct.2026
Azerbaijan and Iran Step Up Security Contacts Amid Hijab Protests
12.Oct.2026
Personnel Shortages Complicate Ukrainian Forces’ Rotation: Ukraine Faces Long-Term Challenges on the Front Line
11.Oct.2026
Trump Eases Sanctions on Russian Fuel After Talks with Putin: Kyiv Fears Boost to Moscow’s War Revenues
10.Oct.2026
Putin Seeks to Strengthen Russia’s Influence in the Post-Soviet Space Through the CIS
10.Oct.2026
Russia and the South Caucasus: External Pressure, Political Competition and a Crisis of Trust
10.Oct.2026
Peaceful Settlement Between Armenia and Azerbaijan: Moving from Declarations to Implementation
10.Oct.2026
Moldova Ready to Accept as Many Ukrainians as Necessary if Situation Worsens This Winter
09.Oct.2026
Turkmenistan Turns Avaza into a Regional Diplomatic Hub as Caspian, Central Asian and CIS Agendas Converge
08.Oct.2026
Romania Scrambles Spanish F-18s After Aerial Targets Detected Near Ukrainian Border
07.Oct.2026
Berlin Deepens Defence Partnership with Kyiv: Germany to Provide Ukraine with €1 Billion in Military Aid
07.Oct.2026
European Parliament Against Georgian Dream: EU Prepares New Response to Tbilisi
06.Oct.2026
Bulgarian Foreign Minister to Discuss European Security and International Law in the Netherlands
05.Oct.2026
Rheinmetall in Bulgaria: Sofia Emerges as a New NATO Defence-Industrial Hub in the Balkans
05.Oct.2026
The Cost of a Long War: Moscow Expands Spending Plans Through 2029
05.Oct.2026