Ukrainian security council secretary visits Türkiye to unblock POW exchange process
Photo: Rustem Umerov (Getty Images)
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov arrived in Istanbul today. He will hold a series of meetings aimed at unblocking the prisoner exchange process, according to Umerov's post.
"I have just arrived in Istanbul. Over the next few days, I'm working in Türkiye and the Middle East to unblock the exchange process. There was an agreement — and it must be implemented. The President of Ukraine set a clear task: Ukrainians must return home from captivity," he wrote.
According to him, the working visit includes a series of meetings aimed at intensifying negotiations and implementing agreements on the return of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians from Russian captivity.
The NSDC secretary emphasized that Ukraine continues its efforts to restore regular prisoner exchanges through the mediation of international partners, particularly Türkiye.
Prisoner exchange in October
On October 2, a new prisoner exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia. A total of 185 Ukrainian defenders returned home.
Among those released were servicemen of the Armed Forces, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service who had defended Mariupol, Azovstal, and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.
In addition to the military personnel, 20 civilians were also freed.
It was noted that this exchange between Ukraine and Russia was a combined one: part of it was conducted under the Istanbul agreements, while the other part represented the 69th exchange to date.
The Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War also reported that it is currently working in two directions — exchanges based on the Istanbul agreements and so-called "numbered exchanges."
