Ukrainians welcome buses of released prisoners of war

Ukrainian residents of a village in the Chernihiv region welcomed released Ukrainian prisoners of war after an exchange with Russia on Friday (April 24).

Reuters footage showed residents waving Ukrainian flags at passing buses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Friday (April 24) Ukraine returned 193 of its prisoners of war home in a swap with Russia.

He said some of the returned captives, who included soldiers, border guards and police, had injuries, while others had faced criminal charges in Russia.

The exchange is part of ongoing efforts to return prisoners held during the war, which has seen thousands of soldiers from both sides captured since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022.

-Yurii Muravyov, Daria Smetanko/Reuters