On Monday, 24 August 2026, on Ukraine's Independence Day, the second stage of the latest prisoner-of-war exchange was completed. According to the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, ten Ukrainian servicemen who had previously been listed as missing in action were returned home as part of a special stage. All of the released personnel served in the Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine and fought on the Donetsk axis. This is reported by RBC-Ukraine, citing statements by President Volodymyr Zelensky and an official message from the GUR (Main Directorate of Intelligence).
President's statement: "We are searching by every single name"
On the day of their return, President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the nation, emphasizing the significance of the operation. "Today, as part of a special stage of the exchange, we are returning 10 of our warriors — via Belarus. These are servicemen of the Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine. They defended the country on the Donetsk axis. All of them had been listed as missing in action. And it is very important that we have managed to bring them back," the head of state said. Zelensky thanked all participants in the negotiation process and stressed that Ukraine "remembers every single man and woman who remains in captivity," adding: "We are searching by every single name. And we will do everything to free them and bring them home."
GUR: the exchange became possible thanks to the working group of the Coordination Headquarters
The Main Directorate of Intelligence confirmed that the return of the ten servicemen became possible as a result of negotiations conducted by the exchange working group of the Coordination Headquarters on the treatment of prisoners of war. The GUR statement specifies that the released personnel hold various ranks: sergeants, soldiers, and sailors. At the President's instruction, the exchange was timed to coincide with Independence Day. It is noted that two of the returnees had been listed as missing in action since 2024, while eight had been listed since 2025. All of the released defenders will receive the necessary material support, medical care, and undergo a rehabilitation course.
Context: large-scale exchanges in August 2026
The current exchange is part of a series of operations to return Ukrainian prisoners of war, which intensified in August 2026. As a reminder: on 19 August, 103 Ukrainian citizens were returned home from Russian captivity, and as part of the same exchange Ukraine handed over 103 captured Russian military personnel to Russia. Thus, during the period from 19 to 24 August, at least 113 Ukrainian servicemen were returned home. In addition, the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights, Dmytro Lubyntsi, recently reported that the Russian Federation had established the whereabouts of 79 Ukrainian military personnel who had previously been listed as missing in action, which lays the groundwork for further stages of the exchange.
Contradictory data
The wording of the official statements contains a minor discrepancy in describing the geography of the exchange. President Zelensky, in his address, stated that the warriors are being returned "via Belarus," which may be interpreted as a transit route. At the same time, the GUR statement uses the phrasing "return from the Republic of Belarus," which implies that the actual handover or temporary detention took place on the territory of Belarus. The difference in wording does not change the essence of the event; however, the exact mechanism — whether the servicemen were handed over directly in Belarus or in transit through its territory — is not detailed in open sources. Both versions coexist in the official statements without additional clarification.
What's next: rehabilitation and further stages
According to the GUR, all ten released servicemen will be provided with the necessary conditions for recovery: medical treatment, psychological support, and a rehabilitation course. Given that some of them had been in missing-in-action status for more than a year (two of them since 2024), the recovery process may take considerable time. Against the backdrop of Lubyntsi's statement about the 79 missing-in-action Ukrainian military personnel whose whereabouts have been established, experts expect that the negotiations of the Coordination Headquarters working group will continue, and that additional stages of the exchange are possible in the future.
