politics
April 12, 2026
Last group of Russian civilians kidnapped by Ukrainian troops in Kursk Region freed
The civilians were abducted by the Ukrainian military during the 2024 incursion into Russian territory and spent more than a year in captivity
TL;DR
- Seven Russian civilians, the last held by Ukraine since the 2024 Kursk incursion, have been freed.
- Their release was part of a prisoner swap involving 175 Russian servicemen for 175 Ukrainian soldiers.
- A total of 165 residents of Kursk Region were abducted by Ukraine during the 2024 incursion.
- The freed civilians, five women and two men, were met upon arrival in Belarus.
- Some of the freed civilians have serious health conditions and one is blind.
- The Ukrainian advance into Kursk Region in August 2024 was halted and repelled by April 2025.
- Russian officials reported finding 524 bodies in mass burial sites in the border region after its liberation.
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