Ukraine returns 390 military, civilians as part of POW exchange with Russia

This was announced by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He noted that the first part of the agreement on the 1,000 for 1,000 exchange had already been implemented. Today, 390 people have already returned to Ukraine. 

“This agreement was reached at a meeting in Turkey, and it is important to implement it in full,” Zelenskyy said.
He emphasized that the exchange process would continue on Saturday and Sunday.   

“I thank everyone who helps, who works 24/7 to ensure that Ukrainians return home. It is very important to return all those who are in captivity. We are checking every name and information about each person. We will continue our diplomatic work to make such steps possible,” the President of Ukraine emphasized.

Who has been released? 

According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, 270 military personnel and 120 civilians have returned from Russian captivity.

Among the returned defenders are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including the Navy, Airborne Forces, the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.

“The liberated defenders defended our land in Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, and also took part in battles in Chernihiv, Sumy, and Kyiv regions,” the Coordination Center said.

It is noted that among those liberated today there are 3 women and 387 men.  

“Those released from Russian captivity will undergo a medical examination, receive assistance in physical and psychological rehabilitation, all due payments for the entire time in captivity and reintegrate into society,” the statement said.

Background

Earlier, sources from Espreso, RBC-Ukraine, and the Rain TV channel reported on the start of a large-scale exchange. 

According to the Rain TV, citing the I Want to Live project, a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange is currently taking place on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border.

RBC-Ukraine sources say the exchange will last three days.

U.S. President Donald Trump also posted on his Truth Social page that Russia and Ukraine carried out a large-scale prisoner exchange on Friday, May 23.

“A major prisoner swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly. Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big?” he wrote.

Sources from RBC-Ukraine and Radio Svoboda have confirmed this information, noting that the exchange is currently underway.

• On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the USA, and Turkey took place in Istanbul. After that, negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations were held. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the discussions addressed prisoner exchanges in a 1000 for 1000 format, a ceasefire, and a potential meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin.
• On May 22, Ukraine and Russia provided each other with lists of names of prisoners of war for an exchange in the format of 1,000 for 1,000. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called this agreement the only real result of the meeting with the Russian delegation in Istanbul.