Ukraine and Russia complete another POW swap — Details, photos and video
Photo: Prisoner exchange took place as part of the agreements in Istanbul (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Ukraine and Russia conducted another prisoner exchange. It was possible to free prisoners from specific categories agreed upon during negotiations in Istanbul, Türkiye, on June 2.
RBC-Ukraine provides details on the new stage of the exchange.
As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported, today among the categories of those who were able to be returned are the wounded and seriously wounded, as well as those younger than 25 years old.
“Today the exchange began, which will continue in several stages over the next few days. Among the categories of those we are returning now are the wounded and seriously wounded, as well as those younger than 25 years old. The process is quite complicated, with many sensitive details, and negotiations are continuing almost daily,” Zelenskyy wrote.
According to him, the Ukrainian side expects that the agreements on humanitarian issues reached during the meeting in Istanbul will be fully implemented.
“We are doing everything possible to return everyone. We are working on this at all levels,” the President added.
Photo: Ukrainian servicemen returned home as part of the exchange with Russia on June 9, 2025 (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said that today it was possible to return Ukrainians under 25 years old, mostly born in the 2000s. These are soldiers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard, and Territorial Defense.
"There are returned defenders of the Ukrainian Marine Corps, Air Assault Forces. Also, some defenders that were captured in Mariupol," Lubinets said.
He added that the vast majority of those returned had been in captivity since 2022, including those captured in the first days of the full-scale invasion.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War informed that all those returned today from Russian captivity are members of the enlisted and non-commissioned officer ranks.
"The returned defenders will be provided with everything necessary. Their documents will be restored, they will be paid the proper financial support for the entire time in captivity and a one-time assistance payment. They will also undergo a course of medical rehabilitation," the Coordination Headquarters stated.
They explained that since the 66th prisoner exchange is ongoing, for security reasons, the final number of those freed will be announced after the exchange process is completed.
Work is also ongoing on the repatriation of the bodies of Ukrainian soldiers who died defending the Homeland.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, who is the head of the delegation to the talks with Russia, said that the Istanbul agreements provide for a phased process of returning certain categories of prisoners of war:
- seriously wounded
- soldiers with serious illnesses
- young soldiers under 25 years of age.
“This is just the beginning. The process will continue in the coming days. Negotiations are ongoing. We are also working on the extremely sensitive and painful work of the large-scale repatriation of the bodies of fallen soldiers. We are talking about the return of more than 6,000 Ukrainian defenders who gave their lives for the freedom of Ukraine. This process is also envisaged by the agreements,” he added.
Format of exchange
The Ukrainian and Russian delegations agreed to carry out the exchange according to the "all for all" formula. This includes seriously wounded, sick, and young soldiers aged 18 to 25. According to Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, this exchange focused specifically on categories rather than numbers.
Although specific numbers were also announced. As President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated, there will be an exchange of "1,000 for 1,000" and possibly another one in the format of "200 for 200." Moreover, the new rapid exchange was to be not "blind," meaning the Ukrainian side insisted on the transfer of lists and verification.
The Russian side confirmed that the exchange would be the largest but did not clarify the details regarding the lists. As a result, various information leaks started the day before the exchange to disrupt the process.
More about the last meeting of the delegations can be read in the article Istanbul talks between Ukraine and Russia: Key agreements and next steps.
How many days will the prisoner exchange last
In midweek, President Zelenskyy announced that during consultations the Russian side expressed readiness to transfer 500 people on Saturday and Sunday. Ukraine would be ready to transfer the same number of prisoners.
Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky said that the exchange could start on June 7, 8, or 9. He confirmed that preliminarily, over three days, the parties would exchange prisoners in the format "1,200 for 1,200."
It was originally expected that this stage of the exchange would begin on the weekend of June 7. However, it did not start.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russia did not provide full lists of people to be exchanged, as agreed in Istanbul. He accused Moscow of playing a dirty game.
Meanwhile, the head of the Russian delegation claimed that the Ukrainian side “unexpectedly postponed both the acceptance of bodies and the exchange of prisoners of war indefinitely.”
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War denied his claim. They noted that the Russians' information does not correspond to reality and previous agreements. Meanwhile, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said that Russia is trying to replay the agreements on exchanges.
Over the weekend, Russia also announced the alleged start of the transfer of the bodies of the dead. The head of the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, responded to Russia's accusations about the exchange and said when the bodies would actually be repatriated.
Recall that large-scale prisoner exchanges began after the first round of direct negotiations in Türkiye on May 16. At that time, it was agreed to exchange people in the "1,000 for 1,000" formula over three days — from May 23 to 25.
Following that exchange, Ukraine returned a thousand people — fighters from the Navy, Air Assault Forces, National Guard, Territorial Defense, Border Service, and 120 civilian prisoners. Notably, the Russians handed over those who had been held captive for more than three years, including defenders of Mariupol. It was also reported that for the first time military personnel from 46 units were released, from which no one had been returned before.
