'I Kept Dreaming:' Mariupol Defenders Return To Ukraine On Independence Day

A total of 115 prisoners of war returned from Russia to Ukraine on August 24, the country's Independence Day. Soldiers were brought on buses to a place that Ukrainian authorities had asked to keep undisclosed. It was the 55th prisoner swap since Russia's full-scale invasion 2 1/2 years ago. RFE/RL talked to Andriy and Ihor, two freed conscripts from the National Guard. Their unit, No. 3057, was part of the Ukrainian forces who defended the city of Mariupol and surrendered to Russia in May 2022.