Ukraine, Russia trade POW lists in bid for 1,000-for-1,000 swap

Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, said this in a comment to Ukrinform.

On Thursday, May 22, Ukraine and Russia exchanged lists of prisoners of war for a future exchange in the format of "1000 for 1000." The date of the exchange is not yet known.

"I can confirm the fact of the transfer of lists of our prisoners of war to the Russian side," Yusov said.

Later, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia had received a counter-list of names of prisoners from Ukraine.

Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Kyiv had received a list of prisoners of war from Moscow for a future exchange and stated that a thorough check of each person on the lists received from Russia is currently underway.

"I held a meeting on the preparation of the exchange. The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity became almost the only real result of the meeting in Turkey. We are working to ensure that this result is secured," the head of state said.

The meeting participants heard reports on contacts with the Russian side. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov is coordinating organizational issues and monitoring the implementation of the agreements. The Main Intelligence Directorate, Security Service, Foreign Intelligence Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, and the team of the President's Office are involved in the process.

Zelenskyy emphasized that a thorough check of each person on the lists received from Russia is currently being carried out.

He added that the return of Ukrainians from captivity remains one of the priority tasks of the state.

• On May 16, a trilateral meeting of delegations from Ukraine, the United States, and Turkey took place in Istanbul. After that, negotiations took place between the delegations of Russia and Ukraine. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, the issues of prisoner exchange in the format of 1000 for 1000, a ceasefire, and a meeting between Zelenskyy and Putin were raised.