Ukraine has carried out another stage of the large-scale prisoner exchange in accordance with the Istanbul agreements. Defenders who have returned to their homeland are those under the age of 25, as well as wounded and seriously ill soldiers who had spent years in Russian captivity, Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War reports. 

Among those freed are soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including personnel from the Navy, Ground Forces, Air Assault Forces, Territorial Defense Forces, National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.

“The youngest defender is 24 years old. He was captured during the defense of Mariupol in April 2022, at the age of 21,” say Ukrainian authorities. 

Many of those returned had been taken prisoner during the fierce battles for Mariupol. One of the freed is a National Guardsman who was guarding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.

“The oldest defender returned to Ukraine is 62 years old,” the Coordination HQ writes. 

Some of the soldiers are officers. They defended Ukraine on the hottest frontlines: Donetsk, Kharkiv, Luhansk, Kherson, Kyiv, and Sumy directions.

“The defenders released from captivity will undergo the necessary medical examination, receive support for physical and psychological rehabilitation, as well as all due payments for the entire period of their imprisonment,” reveals the agency. 

The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War is already preparing the next exchange. 

In the Ukrainian army, not just infantry, air defense crews, and paratroopers do essential work. The accuracy of Ukrainian artillery strikes depends heavily on this invisible unit, ArmyInform reports. 

A former gas worker, an office employee, and a construction worker now conduct these measurements, which determine the flight path of shells and missiles.

“Weather significantly affects the ballistics of shells and rockets,” the brigade explains. 

Data from several kilometers above ground is vital for artillery, and when it exceeds 20 kilometers in altitude, it becomes essential for HIMARS systems.

Their data is also used by unmanned aerial vehicle units. Several times a day, soldiers launch a radiosonde that climbs up to 40 kilometers high, collecting information on wind speed and direction, temperature, pressure, and humidity.

Taras, the acting platoon commander who previously worked in the gas industry and began his military service as a technician filling weather balloons, says: “Those who work and develop their skills reach more in a relatively short time than those who just wait for a promotion.”

His comrade Dmytro, who six months ago was an office worker in Kyiv, adds: “Overall, I’m satisfied with where I’m serving. I’m happy to work in a friendly team… It’s hard being separated from family and familiar life. But I’m holding on.”

Oleksii Hryhorovych, a platoon operator who used to work in construction, says: “Of course, I miss my family and peaceful life, but I understand that right now, each of us is part of something bigger. I’m proud to be useful to my country.”

The difference in attitudes toward Stalin serves as an X-ray of how far Ukraine and Russia have diverged, sociologists say.

Ukraine and Russia now have radically different attitudes toward the Soviet dictator, and this divide continues to grow. New sociological research published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) and Russia’s Levada Center has released the evidence for this.

According to a poll conducted in April 2025, Stalin once again ranked first in Russia’s list of “the greatest figures of all time,” scoring even higher than in previous years.

“Joseph Stalin, a national hero for Russians, has again taken first place with an even better result than last time,” KIIS notes.

Sociologists emphasize that support for Stalin’s image in Russia is rising, while in Ukraine it is rapidly declining. In 2023, 63% of respondents in Russia viewed the dictator positively, compared to just 4% in Ukraine. This gap is only widening over the years.

“This chart clearly shows how far the two countries have diverged. Murderers have become national heroes in Russia,” Ukrainian sociologists point out.

He orchestrated genocide, killed millions, yet for the Russians, he remains an idol. This divide in collective memory reveals not only historical differences but also fundamental value gaps between the two neighboring states.

Recently, the Netherlands recognized the 1944 Soviet deportation of Crimean Tatars under Stalin as an act of genocide. They were transported roughly 3,200 kilometers to remote areas in the Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic and other parts of Central Asia, with thousands dying during the journey due to starvation.