Moscow, May 25, 2025 – The Europe Today: Russia and Ukraine have confirmed the completion of the third and final phase of a major prisoner exchange operation, carried out under an agreement brokered earlier this month during peace talks in Istanbul.
In a statement released on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that 303 Russian servicemen had been returned by Ukraine. In exchange, an equal number of Ukrainian soldiers—303—were handed over to Kyiv.
“Currently, Russian servicemen are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,” the Ministry’s statement read. It added that the soldiers will soon return to Russia for continued treatment and rehabilitation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the successful completion of the exchange on the social media platform X, expressing gratitude to the Ukrainian negotiation team. “We will definitely bring every single one of our people back from Russian captivity,” he vowed.
The prisoner swap was part of a broader agreement reached during the first direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in three years, held in Istanbul on May 16 and facilitated by the Turkish government. The agreement outlined a phased exchange involving a total of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side.
The first and second rounds of the exchange were carried out over the past two days, during which 390 and 307 prisoners were exchanged, respectively.
The Istanbul talks, which marked a rare moment of diplomatic engagement amid the ongoing conflict, also included preliminary discussions aimed at achieving a broader ceasefire. Türkiye has reiterated its willingness to serve as a mediator in future negotiations.
The successful implementation of the prisoner exchange is being seen as a cautiously optimistic sign of continued dialogue between Moscow and Kyiv, despite the ongoing hostilities on the ground.
