On August 24, Ukraine, on Independence Day, brought home another ten Ukrainian service members. They were released as part of a special stage of the exchange through the territory of Belarus.
All ten are service members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Guard. They defended the country in the Donetsk direction.
What makes this return particularly significant is that all those released had previously been officially listed as missing. Two of the service members had been considered missing since 2024, while another eight had been missing since 2025. For their families, the news of their return was not simply news of an exchange, but confirmation that their loved ones, whom they had been searching for over a long period, were alive.
The released service members are now undergoing the necessary procedures following their return. They will receive medical care and the necessary support and will undergo a rehabilitation course.
The return of service members who had been listed as missing once again shows how difficult it can be to establish the fate of people who disappear during hostilities. Being officially listed as missing does not mean that a person has died. Their whereabouts may remain unknown for a long time, while information about possible captivity may not be confirmed.
That is why the search for such people continues even when months or years have passed since their disappearance. The Coordination Headquarters works separately with information about possible captivity, testimonies from released prisoners, open-source data and other information that may help establish a person's fate.
The previous stage of the prisoner exchange took place on August 19. At that time, Ukraine brought home 103 service members of the Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service and the National Guard from Russian captivity. The soldiers had defended Ukraine in different areas of the front. Following their release, the Coordination Headquarters said that negotiations were continuing and that the Ukrainian side was already preparing for further exchanges.
The Ukrainian side is currently continuing its work on new stages of returning prisoners. At the same time, no specific dates or numbers of people who may be released in the next exchange have been officially announced.