Ukraine Secures Release of More POWs in Latest Exchange With Russia

Another group of Ukrainian soldiers held in Russian captivity was returned Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a Telegram post.

Zelensky said it was the ninth stage of an exchange negotiated in Istanbul, where peace talks also resumed on Wednesday.

“Seriously ill and severely wounded defenders are returning home,” he said.

“We can now talk about the details – over 1,000 of our people have been returned through all the stages of the recent Istanbul agreements,” he said. “For a thousand families, this is the joy of embracing their loved ones again.”

The president announced the POW swap immediately after the conclusion of the third round of negotiations, where Kyiv said it was pushing for a 30-day ceasefire, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and preparations for a possible meeting between Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

More of our defenders have returned. Some have survived more than three years in Russian captivity,” Ukraine’s new Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X. “Ukraine owes each one of them. That is why we continue – every day – to bring our people home.”

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Despite limited progress toward ending the war, several successful POW exchanges have resulted from the ongoing talks. More swaps are expected in the coming weeks, Ukrainian officials said.

Zelensky has identified three top priorities for the negotiations: further POW exchanges, the return of abducted Ukrainian children, and a comprehensive ceasefire along the front lines. 

Kyiv is also pushing for a 30-day unconditional ceasefire, a position backed by the United States, but Russia has rejected the proposal, maintaining its original war objectives.

The first two Istanbul meetings in May and June marked the first formal peace talks between the two sides in over three years.

Despite deep divisions on core political and territorial issues, the parties agreed to a large-scale “1,000-for-1,000” prisoner exchange as a humanitarian gesture. The ongoing swaps are being implemented in phases.

Officials from Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the Presidential Office, and the Foreign Ministry are participating in the coordination of these returns. 

So far, the prisoner exchanges remain one of the few tangible outcomes of the Istanbul-format peace process. On July 14, US President Donald Trump threatened severe new tariffs on Russia and its black market clientele if it does not agree to end the war within 50 days, injecting new urgency into the talks.

As direct negotiations continue, Zelensky has reiterated his willingness to meet Putin face-to-face – though Putin has so far refused to attend, sending Medinsky in his place.

“We will keep doing everything to bring every one of our people home,” Zelensky said.