Russia, Ukraine conduct largest prisoner swap of war
Shafaq News/ On Sunday, Russia and Ukraine confirmed the third and final round of a large-scale prisoner swap carried out under the terms of an agreement reached in Istanbul earlier this month.
In a statement, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that 303 Russian servicemen were exchanged for an equal number of Ukrainian soldiers who were sent back to Kyiv.
303 Ukrainian defenders are home. The third part of the 1000-for-1000 exchange deal, agreed upon in Türkiye, has been completed.Today, warriors of our Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service are returning home.… pic.twitter.com/RpixVvQYDJ
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) May 25, 2025
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed the exchange on X, adding, “We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity.”
On May 16, Turkiye facilitated the first direct talks between Russia and Ukraine in three years, held in Istanbul, where both sides agreed to a large-scale prisoner exchange involving 1,000 people from each side and continued negotiations toward a truce.
Two exchanges have taken place since the agreement, with 390 and 307 prisoners swapped by each side over the past two days, respectively.
Today’s swap took place after drone attacks launched by both sides. At least eight people were killed and dozens more wounded in a wave of Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv.
Meanwhile, Russia reported intercepting or destroying nearly 100 Ukrainian drones in a single day, several of which were aimed at Moscow.
