UKRAINE, Oct. 23 –  Ukraine has returned 270 soldiers from Russian captivity in the third stage of a major prisoner exchange, including five soldiers previously believed to have been killed in the July 2022 explosion at prison in Russian-occupied Olenivka, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s ombudsman, said.

On Jul. 28, 2022, an explosion at a Russian-controlled prison in Olenivka village, Donetsk region, killed at least 50 Ukrainian prisoners of war held there, injuring 150 more. Ukraine accused Russia of deliberately targeting the facility, calling the incident a terrorist attack.

According to Oleh Syniehubov, seven of the exchanged soldiers are from Kharkiv and Kharkiv region. Two of the released servicemen had been captured by Russian forces before the full-scale invasion, in 2018 and 2020.

Most of the soldiers are Ukrainian military personnel who defended Mariupol in 2022. The exchange also included National Guard members, border guards, Territorial Defense forces, Navy personnel, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, and the State Special Transport Service. 

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