# These tears of joy that remind me why this war still matters > Introduction: a ninety-seven-second video - Author: Maxime Marquette - Publisher: MadMax (https://mad-max.co) - Section: Note - Published: 2026-07-03 - Canonical URL: https://mad-max.co/en/article/billet-ces-larmes-de-joie-qui-me-rappellent-pourquoi-cette-guerre-compte-encore ## Introduction: a ninety-seven-second video ### A moment I cannot forget I watched, like thousands of others, the video published by **RFE/RL** on **June 27, 2026**, simply titled **"Tears of Joy."** Ninety-seven seconds of reunions between released Ukrainian servicemen and their families, filmed without artifice, without dramatic music layered on top, just faces, arms reaching out, **blue and yellow** flags trembling on still-thin shoulders. This is not the first time I have seen this kind of footage since the war began. But every time, something in me refuses to grow used to it, refuses to treat these reunions as just another statistic among the **76 prisoner exchanges** that have taken place since **2022**, according to figures relayed by the **Xinhua** news agency. ### The third act of a still-fragile pact This scene is part of the third phase of the **"1000 for 1000"** agreement, negotiated following the three-day ceasefire brokered by the **United States** in May. On **June 26**, **160 Ukrainian servicemen** regained their freedom, all held since **2022**, according to President **Volodymyr Zelensky**, quoted by **RBC-Ukraine**. I caught myself counting mentally: four years. Four years of a cell, of uncertainty, of radio silence for families who did not even know whether their son was still alive. And then, one day, that phone call, that list, that name finally confirmed. ## Mariupol's defenders, a sacrificed generation ### A hundred and fifteen faces from Azovstal Among the **160 released** were **115 defenders of Mariupol**, survivors of the siege of the **Azovstal** plant, according to **RBC-Ukraine**. These men held out for weeks in the rubble of a besieged steel plant before being captured in **2022**, at the very start of the full-scale invasion. The youngest of those freed was **26 years old**, the oldest **66**. That age range strikes me in particular: it is a reminder that this war has spared no generation, tearing both young men at the start of their careers and fathers nearing retirement away from civilian life. ### Captivity documented as systemic torture Watching these images of joy, I also think of what **Dmytro Lubinets**, Ukraine's Human Rights Commissioner, revealed before the **UN** last March: **more than 95% of Ukrainian prisoners** suffered systematic torture in Russian captivity, according to UN data relayed by **The Kyiv Independent**. These smiles captured by the cameras do not tell the whole story. Behind every filmed embrace likely lies a long road of physical and psychological rebuilding, a road Ukrainian society will have to walk alongside them well beyond the media moment of release. ## Abu Dhabi's quiet mediation ### A role that has become almost routine As with previous exchanges, humanitarian mediation for this operation was handled by the **United Arab Emirates**, according to **Euronews**. There is something both reassuring and troubling about this diplomatic routine: reassuring, because it still works despite the absence of direct political dialogue between **Kyiv** and **Moscow**; troubling, because it is a reminder of just how incapable the two capitals are of directly negotiating even the most human of gestures. Russia's defense ministry, for its part, confirmed the return of **160 Russian servicemen**, transferred to **Belarus** to receive care before their final repatriation, according to the **Xinhua** news agency. ### A reciprocity that erases nothing This reciprocity in the exchange must never be confused with a moral equivalence between the two sides. Russian soldiers are returning to an aggressor that launched this war through a deliberate political choice; Ukrainian soldiers are returning to a country that has been defending itself for more than four years against an invasion it never wanted. I want to repeat this, even at the risk of sounding repetitive: the logistical symmetry of these exchanges must never mask the fundamental moral asymmetry of this conflict. ## What the numbers do not say ### Seven thousand names still hanging in the balance Despite this new wave of releases, **Russia** still holds roughly **7,000 Ukrainians** captive, including more than **4,000 servicemen**, according to figures cited by President **Zelensky** and relayed by **The Kyiv Independent**. That figure, cold in its statistical detachment, actually represents seven thousand individual stories, seven thousand families hanging on the next exchange list. And behind these servicemen, there are also nearly **1,900 confirmed Ukrainian civilians** in Russian captivity, with estimates climbing as high as **16,000** according to **Lubinets**, quoted by **RBC-Ukraine**. These civilians never carried a weapon. ### An incomplete joy, but a real one I do not want to spoil the legitimate joy of this **June 26** by drowning it solely in statistics about those still held captive. Every return matters. Every reunited family deserves to be celebrated fully, without any accounting afterthought that would tarnish this moment of pure happiness. But I also believe we owe this moment of truth to the seven thousand others: their story is not over, and the fight for their return continues, patiently led by people like **Lubinets** who work, case after case, without ever making the front page of major international newspapers. ## The silence of the eight hundred days before ### What waiting does to families Before every release, there are months, sometimes years, of unbearable waiting for the families left in **Ukraine**. No reliable news, contradictory rumors, lists that circulate without official confirmation. I think of the **mothers** who check every newly published exchange list, line by line, holding their breath until they find — or do not find — the name they are looking for. This waiting, invisible in the joyful images of reunions, is nonetheless the core of what prisoners' relatives actually experience. The **Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War** reports that these families live in a state of **permanent vigilance** that, over time, exhausts them as much as grief itself. ### A bureaucracy of hope What I call the **bureaucracy of hope** is those dozens of **forms**, identity checks, and cross-referencing of lists between **Kyiv** and **Moscow** that precede every release. Thankless, technical work, but absolutely essential so that these filmed reunions can one day take place. Without this painstaking work carried out by **officials unknown** to the general public, none of the images of tears of joy broadcast by **RFE/RL** would exist. I believe they deserve as much tribute as the soldiers themselves. ## The hidden price of captivity ### Marked bodies, fractured minds Images of reunions show smiles, but rarely the **emaciated bodies**, the scars, the tremors that captivity leaves behind. Human rights organizations have documented for years the devastating physical and psychological consequences of **prolonged detention** in Russian captivity. I often wonder how long it will take these **115 defenders of Mariupol** to regain any semblance of a **normal life**, if that is even possible after what they have been through. Ukrainian society will have to stand by them for years, long after the cameras have turned to other stories. ### A rebuilding that has barely begun The **return to civilian life**, or even military life, for these freed men represents an **enormous challenge** for Ukrainian health services, already overwhelmed by the needs created by more than four years of full-scale war. This challenge only begins the moment the cameras switch off and media attention moves elsewhere. I believe our **duty**, as observers of this war, is to keep caring about these men long after the media moment of their release, so as not to reduce their story to a single image of fleeting joy. ## A generation writing its own memory ### Social media as a living memorial Since the war began, **Ukrainian social media** has become a space where every family publicly documents the wait, and sometimes the return, of a captured relative. These posts, often accompanied by photographs from before the war, create a **collective memory** running parallel to the official statements from **Kyiv** and **Moscow**. This practice, almost universal among families of Ukrainian prisoners, turns every individual release into an event shared by an entire digital community, amplifying both the joy of reunions and the ongoing pain of those still waiting. ### The media's role in building the national narrative Ukrainian media, including **RBC-Ukraine** and **The Kyiv Independent**, devote **sustained attention** to every new wave of exchanges, helping keep the prisoner issue at the heart of national public debate despite the understandable fatigue of a population facing more than four years of continuous war. This methodical coverage, exchange after exchange, is itself an **act of resistance**: it refuses to let **international media fatigue** erase the human urgency of this issue, even as world attention turns to other crises. ## What this **war** has taught me about hope ### A hope that refuses to die After more than four years following this war, I could easily give in to **cynicism** with every new exchange announcement, every new number of released prisoners. But these images from **RFE/RL** remind me that hope, however fragile, continues to survive even in the darkest circumstances. This **hope** is not naive. It fully coexists with clear-eyed awareness of the scale of the crimes committed, of the **7,000 Ukrainians** still held captive, of the years of rebuilding awaiting every family touched by this war. But it stubbornly refuses to surrender all the ground to despair. ### A lesson for the entire **West** I believe this Ukrainian capacity to celebrate every small human victory, without ever losing sight of the scale of the **fight** still ahead, is a valuable lesson for the entire **West**. Faced with **authoritarian regimes** ready to weaponize **human suffering**, this **collective resilience** deserves to be supported and amplified through every available diplomatic means. Perhaps that, at its core, is the real meaning of these ninety-seven seconds of video: a reminder that **human dignity** can survive even four years of war, provided we collectively refuse to let it go out. ## Conclusion: why these images keep moving me ### A war also measured in embraces We often measure this war in square kilometers retaken, missiles intercepted, military casualty figures. But I believe some of this conflict's most important truths are also measured in filmed embraces, in flags held tight against a chest, in tears that never lie about their origin. These ninety-seven seconds of video from **RFE/RL** will change nothing about the geopolitical trajectory of this war. But they remind me, every time I risk growing numb to the repetitive news from the front, why this war still deserves all our **attention** and all our solidarity. ### A simple wish going forward My wish, as I close this piece, is simple: that the next exchange list be even longer, that other families soon experience this moment of tears of joy, and that the seven thousand names still hanging in the balance are never forgotten amid the noise of **grand diplomatic maneuvering**. **By Maxime Marquette, columnist** ## Columnist's transparency note ### Editorial stance I am not a journalist but a **columnist and analyst**. My expertise lies in observing and analysing the geopolitical, economic and strategic dynamics that shape our world. My work is to take political strategies apart, to understand global economic movements, to put the decisions of international actors in context and to offer analytical perspectives on the changes that are redefining our societies. I do not claim the cold objectivity of traditional journalism, which stops at reporting facts. **I claim analytical clarity**, rigorous interpretation and a deep understanding of the complex issues that concern us all. My role is to give meaning to the facts, to place them in their historical and strategic context, and to offer a critical reading of events. ### Method and sources This text keeps the basic distinction between **verified facts and interpretive analysis**. The rule never changes: a factual claim is published only when a verifiable source supports it, and the sources this article actually used are listed under **Sources**, never here. **Primary source families** used by the publication, when the story has them: official statements from governments and international institutions, public statements by political leaders, reports from intergovernmental organisations, dispatches from recognised international news agencies. **Secondary source families**: specialised publications, internationally recognised news media, analyses from established research institutions, reports from industry organisations. When an article cites statistical, economic or geopolitical data, it comes from the institutions that produce it (intergovernmental organisations, central banks, national statistics offices), and the exact institution is named under **Sources**. ### Nature of the analysis The analyses, interpretations and perspectives in the analytical sections of this article are a **critical, contextual synthesis** based on the information available, the trends observed and the expert comments cited in the sources consulted. My role is to interpret these facts, to set them in the context of today's geopolitical and economic dynamics, and to give them a coherent meaning within the larger story of the changes shaping our time. These analyses reflect expertise built through continuous observation of international affairs and an understanding of the strategic mechanisms that drive global actors. This article describes a documented state of affairs on its publication date, not a prediction: later developments may shift its outlook. No update is promised in advance; when an article is corrected or completed, the change is dated in the text. ## Sources ### Primary sources - [Tears Of Joy As Freed Ukrainians Return Home In Latest Prisoner Swap — RFE/RL, June 27, 2026](https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-prisoners--of-war-released-mariupol/33790207.html) - [Ukraine-Russia prisoner exchange on June 26 brings home 160 — RBC-Ukraine, June 26, 2026](https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-and-russia-complete-third-phase-of-1782478036.html) ### Secondary sources - [Russia and Ukraine swap 160 soldiers each in latest prisoner exchange — Euronews, June 26, 2026](https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2026/06/26/russia-and-ukraine-swap-160-soldiers-each-in-latest-prisoner-exchange) - [At least 337 Ukrainian POWs 'brutally' executed by Russia — The Kyiv Independent, March 3, 2026](https://kyivindependent.com/russia-deliberately-and-brutally-execute-337-ukrainian-pows-by-end-of-2025-ombudsman-says/) - [Ukraine's ombudsman reveals who is hardest to bring back from Russian captivity — RBC-Ukraine, June 26, 2026](https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/ukraine-s-ombudsman-reveals-who-is-hardest-1782503099.html) - [Russia, Ukraine swap 160 prisoners of war each — Xinhua, June 26, 2026](https://english.news.cn/europe/20260626/6579ad8cd2c54e148bce9e25784391e1/c.html) --- Source: Maxime Marquette, MadMax. When citing, name the author and link https://mad-max.co/en/article/billet-ces-larmes-de-joie-qui-me-rappellent-pourquoi-cette-guerre-compte-encore