Easter prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia. Who was returned

Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war on Saturday, on the eve of Easter. Ukraine returned 175 soldiers and seven civilians and handed over 175 Russian prisoners.
This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as the Russian news agency TASS, citing a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
Later, the head of the presidential administration Kirill Budanov clarified that a total of 182 prisoners were returned - 175 soldiers and seven civilians.
Among the returned are military personnel of the Armed Forces, members of the National Guard, border guards. Soldiers, sergeants and officers.
"Our soldiers defended Ukraine in various directions: in Mariupol, at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkov, Kherson, Zaporizhia, Sumy, Kiev, Kursk directions," Zelensky noted.
He added that most of them had been in captivity since 2022 and that there were wounded among them.
"Finally - home," Zelensky added in a telegram message.
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinec said that one of those returned from captivity was in critical condition after being tortured.
A day earlier, media reported that a new exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine was planned for Saturday.
More than half of the returned Ukrainian defenders were captured during the defense of Mariupol.

Who was returned

"The characteristic of today's exchange is that almost all the released prisoners - both military and civilian - are in captivity from 2022," the Coordination Headquarters announced.
The release of 25 officers, which the Russian side had previously categorically refused to exchange, was also made possible.
More than half of the returned Ukrainian defenders were captured during the defense of Mariupol. 
Several National Guard soldiers who were enslaved during the occupation of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in the first days of the full invasion are also returning home, the Coordination Headquarters said.
The youngest exchanged soldier is 22 years old, and the oldest is 63 years old.
In total, among the military personnel exchanged are representatives of the Navy, Ground Forces, Territorial Defense, Special Forces, Air Force, DGS, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Service.
Seven civilians captured by the Russians in the occupied territories in 2022 have also returned to Ukraine.

Easter Truce

On Thursday, the Kremlin announced an "Easter Truce." The ceasefire is set to begin at 4 p.m. on Saturday and last until Easter. A total of 32 hours.
Moscow initially ignored calls from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a ceasefire throughout Holy Week, but on Thursday, Vladimir Putin unexpectedly announced that he had ordered Russian troops to "cease hostilities in all directions."
Significantly, Putin did the same this year as he did last year. Then, despite numerous calls for a long Easter truce, the Russian leader unexpectedly declared a truce for just over 24 hours. However, this time not for 32 hours, but for 30 - from 6 p.m. on the Saturday before Easter until the end of the day of the greatest Christian holiday.
On Saturday, President Zelensky said that an Easter truce could be the beginning of a real movement towards peace.
"We have a corresponding proposal from our side," Zelensky added.
The previous large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on March 5-6. On the first day, 200 prisoners of war were exchanged, and on the next day another 300, including two civilians.
The exchange was agreed at the last trilateral meeting in Geneva.
Before this, another exchange took place on February 5, effectively unblocking a nearly six-month hiatus in the exchanges. According to Ukrainian authorities, the process was obstructed by Russia.