Ukraine said Friday it had exchanged 390 prisoners of war with Russia, the first stage of a larger agreement reached during talks in Istanbul last week.
The swap is part of a deal between the two countries to exchange 1,000 prisoners each – the only major result from the recent negotiations in Turkey.
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“We’re bringing our people home,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a message on Telegram. “The first part of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange has been completed.”
Zelensky added that more exchanges are expected over the weekend.
He thanked those working “around the clock” to return Ukrainians from captivity and stressed that the government checks the names and details of every individual involved in the process.
“It’s very important to bring everyone back,” he said. “We will continue our diplomatic efforts to make more exchanges possible.”
Several exchanges have taken place since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Earlier this month, on May 6, each side released 205 captured soldiers in a separate exchange.
“Ours are free. Ours are at home,” President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Telegram following the return of 205 Ukrainian POWs.
“Today, Ukraine returned 205 soldiers. Young boys and adult men from almost all types and branches of the Armed Forces. Defenders of Mariupol and defenders of the entire front line,” he wrote.
ISW Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, June 29, 2026
A Kyiv Post correspondent was on site during the transfer to a medical facility in one of the border towns, capturing emotional reunions between the released prisoners and their families, as well as their first phone calls after their long ordeal.
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