Full story
Captives returned Aug. 19
On August 19, Russia returned 103 Ukrainian defenders from enemy captivity, including Nadvirna Mayor Zinovii Andriiovych’s fellow resident Mykhailo Romanovych Nahorniak, who had been missing since his capture on May 10, 2024, during a Russian assault near the village of Pylne in the Kharkiv region.
“Among the 103 Ukrainian defenders who were returned from enemy captivity today is our fellow resident – Mykhailo Romanovych Nahorniak”
Andriiovych said the return brought “incredibly joyful news that gives us hope and faith,” and he identified Nahorniak as a grenade launcher operator in a mechanized unit.
Ukrinform also reported that Ivano-Frankivsk Regional Military Administration Head Svitlana Onyshchuk said four servicemen from the region were returned from Russian captivity on August 19, 2026: Volodymyr Lazar, Mykhailo Nahorniak, Yaroslav Panchii, and Andrii Symotiuk.
In a separate account of the same August 19 exchange, UA.NEWS said Russia handed over 31 seriously wounded prisoners of war to Ukraine for the first time, and Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said, “today 31 men, who were seriously wounded, returned.”
Ombudsman details and Zelensky
UA.NEWS reported that Lubinets said the seriously wounded men were immediately taken away by emergency medical vehicles after the exchange, and he described Ukraine’s customary interviews about detention conditions, torture, and denial of medical care.
Lubinets also said, “We have long documented 695 different types of torture used against Ukrainian prisoners of war and civilian hostages,” and he described simultaneous interviews with Russian counterparts about the conditions of detention.
Ukrinform, meanwhile, quoted Nadvirna Mayor Zinovii Andriiovych describing the return as “a great joy for his family, his native village and the entire Nadvirna community,” after months of uncertainty following Nahorniak’s capture.
Kyiv Post framed the same August 19 swap by quoting President Volodymyr Zelensky saying, “Today, 103 Ukrainian warriors are returning home from Russian captivity,” and it said Ukraine handed Russia 103 Russian military prisoners in return.
Families, monitoring, and wider war
Ukrinform reported that in a comment to Suspilne, Khrystyna Yosypchuk, acting head of the Lisna Tarnovytsia village district, said Mykhailo Nahorniak had been raising two children on his own and that his mother has a disability.
“Mykhailo Nahorniak had been raising two children on his own”
UA.NEWS said Lubinets and Yurii Kovbasa were present at the exchange and that Lubinets emphasized communication and support for families, while also noting that Ukraine continues efforts “to find every missing person and bring every prisoner home.”
Ukrinform added that Svitlana Onyshchuk said the August 19 returns included servicemen from the Kalush, Nadvirna, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kolomyia districts, and it described Nahorniak as born September 3, 1988, from the village of Lisna Tarnovytsia.
In the same broader context of captivity and war, UNITED24 Media said Dmytro Lubinets reported that 9,716 Ukrainians have returned from Russian captivity since February 24, 2022, and it stated that Russian forces have killed at least 345 Ukrainian service members after they surrendered while the deaths of another 375 Ukrainian citizens in Russian captivity have been confirmed.
