Russia and Ukraine on Sunday completed the largest-scale prisoner swap in the three-year-war that saw the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side.
Some 303 Ukrainians were returned on Sunday on the third and last day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange which was agreed upon during peace talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkiye, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy announced on Sunday in Telegram app. Among the returned POWs are members of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service, Zelenskiy said, sharing photos of the released Ukrainians. Thanking the Ukrainian team who helped carry out the exchange, Zelenskiy pledged to “bring everyone back from Russian captivity.”
Russia also confirmed the completion of the record prisoner exchange. "In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached in Istanbul on May 16, the Russian and Ukrainian sides have carried out the exchange of 1,000 people for 1,000 people," Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday.
The first phase of the prisoner exchange – the largest since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022 – took place Friday when both sides received 390. Another 307 POWs were released before the final groups arrived Sunday. US President Donald Trump on Friday congratulated the two countries for the swap.
On May 6, Russia and Ukraine returned 205 prisoners of war each. Among the returned Ukrainians were defenders of Azovstal in embattled Mariupol. Another 307 Ukrainians were returned from Russian captivity in a deal on May 24.
Ukrainian officials have said that returning prisoners remains top priority, and that the success of the deal in Turkey marks one of the few diplomatic breakthroughs between Kyiv and Moscow in recent months.
