Seven Russian civilians, the last held by Ukraine since the 2024 Kursk incursion, have been freed after nearly 500 days in captivity, Moscow said.
Their release came as part of a prisoner swap on Saturday, with 175 Russian servicemen returned in exchange for 175 Ukrainian soldiers, according to the Defense Ministry.
“We fought for nearly two long years to bring home all Kursk residents who became hostages in Ukraine during the occupation of our border region,” Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said. “Today, the last seven of our compatriots have been freed and can finally embrace their loved ones. In total, 165 residents of Kursk Region had been illegally held by the Ukrainian side since 2024.”
Earlier, Moskalkova stated that Kiev sought to exchange civilians for Ukrainians detained in Russia for various crimes. She called such demands unacceptable, arguing that the Russians were held by Ukraine without legal grounds and in violation of international norms, having committed no actions harmful to Ukraine.
In January, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Rodion Miroshnik, who leads a Foreign Ministry mission tracking alleged Ukrainian war crimes, said Kiev was attempting to secure “the return of Ukrainian war criminals held in our custody” in exchange for civilians.
A video shows Moskalkova meeting the freed civilians upon their arrival in Belarus. According to Kursk Governor Aleksandr Khinstein, five women and two men were released, with the oldest being 91 years old. Some have serious health conditions and one woman is blind. “Everyone who requires qualified medical assistance will absolutely get it,” the governor said.
The Ukrainian advance into Kursk Region in August 2024 was quickly halted and fully repelled by April 2025. In January, Moskalkova reported that Russian authorities found 524 bodies in “mass burial sites” in the border region following its liberation.
Russian officials have documented numerous testimonies alleging war crimes, including rape and abductions, as well as abuses of prisoners of war during Ukraine’s presence.
