Ukraine finalizes plan for 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange to present to Zelenskyy
Photo: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine is finalizing preparations for a large-scale prisoner exchange on a 1,000-for-1,000 format. The action plan is scheduled to be presented to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tomorrow, informs the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
Today, Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov took part in a meeting of the Coordination Headquarters Council on Prisoners of War. The meeting was held under the order of President Zelenskyy.
The main topic of the meeting was the upcoming prisoner exchange on the 1,000-for-1,000 format.
"We are working to bring our people home as soon as possible. As a result of negotiations in Istanbul, a significant agreement was reached: a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner-of-war exchange. This is a complex and sensitive process that requires precise coordination among all state institutions," Umerov emphasized.
According to him, that is why the Coordination Headquarters Council, which brings together all key institutions — the Ministry of Defence, the Main Intelligence Directorate, the Security Service of Ukraine, the Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the Ombudsman's Office — convened to agree on a joint action plan and implement this agreement as quickly as possible.
The Minister of Defense said the decisions developed during the meeting will be reported to the president tomorrow.
"We will not stop here. Ukraine consistently advocates for the 'all-for-all' exchange. And we are moving toward this goal, step by step. To free all our prisoners of war," Umerov said.
1,000-for-1,000 POW exchange
On May 16, delegations from Ukraine and Russia held talks in Istanbul. They spent over an hour discussing issues related to ending the war in Ukraine.
After the meeting, Umerov said both sides had agreed on a prisoner exchange of a 1,000-for-1,000 format. The Russian side confirmed the agreement shortly afterward.
Soon after, Vadym Skibitskyi, a representative of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, said Ukraine had already begun working on the lists of people who would be returned home.
At the same time, Ukraine's Defense Intelligence chief, Kyrylo Budanov, said he expects a large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia as soon as next week.
Yesterday, RBC-Ukraine reported that the Security Service of Ukraine is already compiling lists of Russian military personnel who might be handed over to Russia.
