3rd stage of Russia-Ukraine prisoner exchange to begin : Zelenskyy

ISTANBUL

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that the third stage of a major prisoner exchange operation with Russia will begin on Sunday, aiming to return 1,000 Ukrainians as part of a multi-day effort.

In a statement posted late Saturday, Zelenskyy confirmed that 307 more Ukrainian service members – mostly privates and sergeants from the army, as well as personnel from the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service – were freed and returned home earlier in the day.

“Of all these people, 273 were taken captive in the Donetsk region, many as far back as 2022. Others were captured in Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Luhansk,” he said.

With 697 Ukrainians returned over the past two days, the president said efforts were ongoing to ensure that “absolutely everyone who is currently held in Russia” is brought back.

“This is a joint task for our intelligence services, for our diplomats, for our entire state. Clearly, it’s not an easy task, but it must be accomplished,” Zelenskyy stressed.

He thanked global partners for supporting Ukraine’s efforts, saying international backing remains critical in the complicated negotiation process.

The ongoing exchanges follow a recent agreement between Kyiv and Moscow to conduct a large-scale prisoner swap, which began earlier this week.