Ukraine and Russia carried out a prisoner swap on October 23, the first exchange in two months, with 270 Ukrainian service members returning home and an equal number of Russian prisoners returned to Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced. Most of the Ukrainians freed had been captured during the Siege of Mariupol in spring 2022, including members of the Azov regiment, Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Assault Forces. Five of those released had survived the 2022 Olenivka prison massacre, in which a thermobaric munition was detonated inside a barracks housing Ukrainian prisoners of war. In addition, several civilians were also brought back from Russia, though accounts of the exact number varied.
organisation
Azov Regiment
Ukrainian military unit