There are 22 Belarusians in Ukrainian captivity who fought on the side of Russia
As of July 2026, there are 22 Belarusian citizens being held in prisoner-of-war camps in Ukraine; they fought as part of Russian forces and were taken prisoner. This was reported by the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War in response to an inquiry from the Belarusian service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
The headquarters noted that since the start of the full-scale invasion, seven Belarusian citizens, who also held Russian citizenship, had already been exchanged for Ukrainians held in Russian captivity.
At the same time, the Coordination Headquarters did not specify whether the Belarusian authorities had approached Ukraine with a request to return their citizens.
Separately, the headquarters reported that Ukraine had offered Belarus and Russia an exchange involving Belarusian citizen Ina Kardash, who was detained in January of this year on suspicion of spying for the Belarusian State Security Committee.
The agency emphasized that Kyiv is ready to consider various mechanisms for the return of Ukrainians who are being illegally detained abroad. One possible option could be exchanges involving Russian and Belarusian citizens who are under investigation or have been convicted of espionage in Ukraine.
Bogdan Okhrimenko, head of the Coordination Headquarters’ secretariat, stated that Moscow and Minsk have been informed of Ukraine’s readiness for such exchanges but have not yet shown any interest.
“Both the Russian and Belarusian authorities have been informed of Ukraine’s willingness and readiness for such a process. But neither side is in a hurry to take back their ‘failed’ agents,” he said.
At the same time, the Coordination Headquarters declined to disclose the number of Ukrainian citizens currently held in Belarusian prisons. Officials there explained that revealing such information could jeopardize future exchanges and the safety of the detainees.
Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Belarusian service.
As a reminder, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) announced that it had placed an Azov fighter under suspicion in connection with the death of a comrade in captivity.
Russian troops shot and killed a Ukrainian prisoner of war in the Donetsk region.
