Since the start of the full-scale invasion, more than 10,000 Russian servicemen have been captured, thousands of whom still remain in Ukraine. In particular, the Russian Federation has been refusing to exchange "all for all" for the fourth year.
Points of attention
- Over 10,000 Russian servicemen have been captured during Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with a significant number remaining in captivity.
- The number of Russian occupiers surrendering is on the rise, with more soldiers captured in 2025 alone than in the previous two years combined.
- Foreign mercenaries from 40 countries make up almost 7% of all prisoners captured, with a sharp increase seen in 2025.
More than 10,000 Russian occupiers were captured by Ukrainian forces
The number of Russians surrendering is increasing every year.
Thus, in the incomplete year of 2025, more Russian military personnel were captured than in 2022 and 2023 combined.
On average, from 60 to 90 servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces surrender every week, and in August 2024 this figure reached 350 people per week.
Since June 2023, Russian soldiers have been captured more often than Ukrainian soldiers.
In particular, the largest number of prisoners were taken in the Pokrovsky and Bakhmut districts of the Donetsk region, the Kursk region, and the Polohivsky district of the Zaporizhzhia region.
The number of foreign mercenaries in captivity has increased sharply in 2025. Thus, every week 2–3 prisoners turn out to be recruited by citizens of third countries. In total, almost 7% of all Russian prisoners of war in Ukraine are foreigners from 40 countries of the world.
According to statistics published for the first time by the "I Want to Live" project, a typical Russian prisoner of war is:
83% — rank and file;
13% — sergeants;
almost 3% are officers;
age — from 18 to 65 years;
about 76% are contract soldiers (including those recruited in prisons and PMCs);
19% are mobilized;
almost 5% are conscripts.
As noted, 24% of prisoners reported coercion or deception. 40% have criminal records, most often for theft, drugs, robbery and assault, grievous bodily harm, and murder.
According to the project, only 7% have higher education, while 30% did not even finish school. Before the war, 38% were unemployed. Almost half have children, including 8% with three or more.
In addition, hundreds of people with serious chronic illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, and mental disorders, were captured.
According to statistics, just over 6,000 prisoners of war were returned to Russia as part of exchanges for Ukrainian defenders, more than half of them in 2025.
Thus, at least 237 former Russian prisoners of war are known to have died or gone missing after being re-sent to the front after the exchange. Four Russian soldiers are currently in captivity for the second time.
Russia primarily takes back from captivity ethnic Russians without serious injuries and with a short period of captivity. The Russian Federation does not ask for foreign mercenaries for exchange.
Thousands of prisoners of war of the Russian army, including the wounded, sick, and conscripts, still remain in Ukraine. Russia has been refusing to exchange on the principle of "all for all" for the fourth year, the Coordination Headquarters emphasized.
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