95 Ukrainian defenders return from Russian captivity, including Azov fighters and POWs facing life sentences
Among those released was Maksym Butkevych, a Ukrainian human rights activist and serviceman, who was captured near Luhansk in 2022 and sentenced to 13 years in Russia. The exchange also saw the return of Vladyslav Andrianov, an Azov fighter who survived the Olenivka prison massacre and faced a 25-year sentence in Russia.
Ukraine successfully negotiated the return of 95 of its defenders from Russian captivity on 19 October, 20 of whom were facing life imprisonment in Russia for defending Ukraine.
Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) held in Russia often report inhumane treatment and systematic torture, such as beatings, starvation, electric shocks, and sexual violence, aimed at extracting confessions or punishing detainees. Russia disregards international humanitarian norms, leaving prisoners traumatized and in poor health. Conversely, Ukraine treats Russian POWs under international norms.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War noted that many of the freed individuals have serious illnesses and consequences of severe injuries, as well as significant weight loss due to torture and malnutrition in Russian captivity.
95 Ukrainian defenders return home after Russian captivity in latest prisoner exchange.
This exchange included 48 defenders who had received harsh sentences from Russian authorities – 28 to long-term imprisonment and 20 to life sentences.
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