Ukrainian Families Reunite With Loved Ones In Emotional Prisoner Exchange.
Hundreds of families gathered in a car park in Ukraine’s Chernihiv region on Tuesday, their hearts brimming with hope and trepidation, as they awaited the return of 205 Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) released from Russian captivity. The 64th prisoner exchange of the ongoing conflict, one of the largest to date, brought scenes of joyous reunions tinged with anguish for those whose loved ones did not step off the buses.
Among the crowd were sisters Anastasiia Dobrieva, 31, and Inha Palamarchuk, 38, clutching a chocolate cake adorned with candles spelling out “25” in neon orange. They had baked it for their brother, Yurii Dobriev, a National Guard soldier who turned 25 in April while imprisoned in Russia. Alongside the cake, they brought his favourite items: Winston cigarettes, Coca-Cola, chocolates, and lighters—small comforts he had been denied for 18 months.
“We’re incredibly anxious—whether he’s really there or not,” Anastasiia said, her voice trembling. “We just want to see him as soon as possible.”
Yurii vanished in late 2023 in a forest in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine. His sisters clung to fragments of hope: a chilling social media video showing him in subzero temperatures, barely clothed, hands bound; confirmation from the Red Cross that he was alive; and accounts from released prisoners who last saw him in Sverdlovsk prison colony in April. “The food was terrible—rotten fish, rotten cabbage,” Anastasiia recounted, her words heavy with worry.
When the government confirmed Yurii’s release on Monday, the sisters boarded an overnight train from Odesa to Kyiv, arriving at the meeting point with hearts pounding. At 3:21 p.m., a text from the Ukrainian office handling prisoner swaps brought relief: “Congratulations! Yurii Dobriev was released from captivity.”
As four buses, escorted by police sirens, rolled into the car park just before 5 p.m., the crowd erupted. The men who emerged, draped in Ukrainian flags, were gaunt, their heads shaved, their eyes hollow from months or years of hardship. Many bore the physical and emotional scars of captivity, with reports of torture, starvation, and psychological abuse, including being forced to sing the Russian anthem and told Ukraine had forgotten them.
Yurii tumbled off the bus into his sisters’ arms. “All right girls, I’m home,” he said, his voice a mix of exhaustion and relief. The sisters lit the candles on his birthday cake, though a doctor’s clearance was needed before he could indulge in the treats. Yurii made a wish, blew out the candles, and called his mother. “Yes, mum, I’m home,” he said, lighting a cigarette and breaking into a laugh as his sisters kissed his cheeks, refusing to let go.
For others, the day brought mixed fortunes. Serhiy Laptiev, 23, who endured three years in captivity, learned of his mother’s death through a Red Cross message but drew strength from thoughts of his daughter, born just before his capture. “I had someone to live for,” he said. In a poignant moment, he confirmed to Anzhelika Yatsyna, 52, that her brother, Oleh Obodovskyi, was alive, having shared a cell with him for two years. Anzhelika burst into tears, gripping Serhiy’s hand as if holding onto her brother through him.
Yet for some, hope was dashed. Yuliia Kohut, 55, held a photograph of her son Vadym, who disappeared early in the war. When the final list of returning prisoners was released, his name was absent. Yuliia’s sobs echoed the pain of countless families still waiting, with thousands of Ukrainian POWs believed to remain in Russian prisons.
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, over 4,550 Ukrainian prisoners have been exchanged, a rare point of cooperation between the two nations. Many families arrived on Tuesday driven by blind hope, holding worn photographs marked with names, brigades, and dates of disappearance, seeking any news from returning soldiers.
The car park in Chernihiv bore witness to a tapestry of emotions—tears of joy, grief, and cautious hope—as families clung to the promise of future reunions. For the Dobriev sisters, the sight of Yurii, frail but smiling, was a moment of triumph. “What do I feel? I have no words,” he said, enveloped in their embrace.