Tears and joy at largest POW swap between Ukraine and Russia

Ukraine brought home another 277 soldiers in a major prisoner exchange with Russia ahead of the Easter holiday on April 19. The released soldiers took part in the defense of Mariupol and other parts of Donetsk, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, and Luhansk oblasts, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The service members belonged to Ukraine's Armed Forces, National Guard, State Transport Service, and Border Guard Service, but most were from the Marine Corps, especially those taken prisoner in the surrounded city of Mariupol in April 2022. The Kyiv Independent's Olena Zashko and Francis Farrell went to witness one of the most joyful moments during Russia's full-scale war, especially for those finally reuniting with their loved ones after years of Russian captivity. Subscribe to our channel for more independent reporting from Ukraine. Become a member of our community: https://kyivindependent.com/membershi... Your support allows us to bring independent, locally sourced news about Ukraine to the world.