Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Photo: Screenshot

Two stages of a prisoner-of-war exchange between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled for this weekend, with 500 Ukrainian service members expected to be released.

Source: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a briefing

Details: Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine is prepared to release an equivalent number of Russian prisoners.

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Quote from Zelenskyy: “The Russian side has indicated that this weekend, it will transfer 500 of our service members, out of the thousand agreed upon. We are ready to swap the corresponding number.”

Details: However, Russia has not yet provided the agreed-upon lists for the exchange.

Quote from Zelenskyy: “We have not yet received the lists. Unlike the previous Istanbul talks, the Russians promised to provide us with the lists of those being exchanged before the swap. This is important to us. We have not received them yet. We will insist that the Ukrainian side receives these lists.”

Details: Zelenskyy stated that work on repatriating the bodies of deceased soldiers will begin after the prisoner exchange.

Quote from Zelenskyy: “Regarding the exchange of bodies, documents indicate that Russian forces have identified 15-20% of the bodies in their possession. They have agreed to ensure clear identification. It is critical that we receive the bodies of Ukrainians, not Russians they wish to dispose of, as we have seen before.”

Background:


On 23 May 2025, Ukraine and Russia carried out the first part of the thousand-for-thousand exchange agreement, bringing back 390 people. Of these, 270 were military personnel and 120 were civilians. 
On 24 May, an additional 307 Ukrainian defenders, all men of private and sergeant ranks, were freed from Russian captivity.
On 25 May, Ukraine and Russia conducted the third phase of a thousand-for-thousand prisoner exchange. Another 303 Ukrainian defenders have returned home.
Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Commander of the Azov National Guard Brigade, stated that not a single Azov fighter was included in the three-day prisoner exchange with Russia. He said he does not believe the Ukrainian authorities are interested in bringing them back.
Journalist Stanislav Aseyev drew attention to the plight of civilians who have been held in Russian captivity for eight years, pointing out that not one of them was among those released during the prisoner exchange.

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