Kathrine Frich
New figures suggest the Kremlin is far from eager to bring all of them home.
Thousands of Russian soldiers captured during the war in Ukraine remain in detention, offering a rare insight into how Moscow has fought the conflict.
The data sheds light not only on the scale of surrender but also on who Russia prioritises in prisoner exchanges.
Scale of captivity
More than 10,000 Russian servicemen have been taken prisoner by Ukraine since the start of the full-scale invasion, according to the “I Want to Live” project.
The initiative analysed records of prisoners of war and published its first comprehensive statistics, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine.
The authors said that Russia most often asks for the return of ethnic Russians from the Moscow region, as well as from Krasnodar and Perm, when negotiating exchanges.
Surrenders rising
The report shows a steady increase in Russian soldiers surrendering over time.
In the first half of 2025 alone, more Russian troops were captured than during all of 2022 and 2023 combined.
At that stage, between 60 and 90 soldiers were surrendering each week. In August 2024, the figure peaked at around 350 per week.
Since June 2023, Ukrainian forces have taken more Russian prisoners than the number of Ukrainians captured by Russia.
Where they were captured
Most prisoners were taken in eastern and southern combat zones, including the Pokrovsk and Bakhmut areas of Donetsk region, Russia’s Kursk region, and the Polohy district of Zaporizhzhia region.
In 2025, the number of foreign fighters captured also increased.
The project said nearly 7% of prisoners were mercenaries from around 40 countries, with two to three surrendering each week.
Who the prisoners are
The majority of prisoners are contract soldiers, while senior officers are rare. The highest recorded rank was colonel. Ages ranged from 18 to 65 at the time of capture.
According to the report, about 76% were contract soldiers, including recruits from prisons and private military companies.
Around 19% were mobilised troops and nearly 5% were conscripts. Almost a quarter said they were forced or deceived into joining the war.
Criminal pasts and returns
The analysis found that 40% of prisoners had criminal records, most commonly for theft, drug offences, robbery, assault or murder.
Education levels were low, with only 7% holding university degrees.
More than 6,000 prisoners have been returned to Russia through exchanges. Over half of those swaps took place in 2025.
The project said it was aware of at least 237 former prisoners who were later killed or went missing after being sent back to the front.
The ethnic makeup of exchanges also differed. While ethnic Russians made up 66% of all prisoners, they accounted for 83% of those returned, suggesting a clear preference by Moscow.
Sources: Interfax-Ukraine, “I Want to Live” project, Ziare.com
