Russia and Ukraine Carry Out Largest Prisoner Swap Since 2022 Invasion

Russia and Ukraine have swapped 390 people each. This is the largest prisoner exchange since the war began in 2022.

Each side returned 270 soldiers and 120 civilians. The handover happened on the Ukraine-Belarus border. The deal was made a week ago during talks in Istanbul.

They had agreed to exchange 1,000 people. More swaps are planned soon.

There have been other exchanges before. But none included this many civilians.

Russia said some of the people it got back were captured in its Kursk region. They were taken during recent Ukrainian attacks. These people are now in Belarus and will go to Russia for medical checks.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, “We are bringing our people home.” He added they are checking every name and detail.

Ukraine said its 270 soldiers had fought in places like Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Donetsk, Kharkiv, and Kherson. Three of the 390 people freed were women.

US President Donald Trump praised the swap on Truth Social. He said it was complete and “could lead to something big???”

On Friday, families of Ukrainian prisoners gathered in northern Ukraine. They hoped their loved ones would come home.

Natalia’s son Yelizar was captured in Severodonetsk three years ago. She still hopes he will return but does not know when.

Olha said her son Valerii and five others were caught two months ago in a village in Luhansk. She does not know if they are still alive.

The swap deal was made in Turkey. It was the first direct meeting between the two sides since March 2022. The meeting lasted only two hours and did not bring a ceasefire.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said more talks are coming. Russia plans to give a "memorandum" to Ukraine.

Trump also said Russia and Ukraine would soon talk about peace. He said this after a two-hour phone call with Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

But President Zelensky said Putin is just stalling to continue the war.

Italy’s leader, Giorgia Meloni, liked Trump’s idea to have the Vatican help with peace talks. Lavrov, however, said that plan is not realistic.

Lavrov also repeated a false claim that Zelensky is not a legal leader. He said new elections should happen before peace talks can move forward.

When asked if Russia is ready to make peace, Lavrov said, “First we need a deal.” He added that after a deal is made, they will decide who in Ukraine can sign it.

He said the main goal is a fair peace that keeps everyone safe. For Russia, he said, safety is a big concern.