Ukraine brings home 303 POWs in final phase of biggest prisoner swap with Russia

Ukraine brought home 303 prisoners of war on May 25 in the final phase of a 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced.

The prisoner exchange took place in three phases carried out over three days and was agreed on during peace talks held in Turkey on May 16, the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in three years.

"I thank the team that worked around the clock to successfully carry out this exchange. We will definitely bring back every single one of our people from Russian captivity," Zelensky wrote in a post on X.

The returning prisoners included members of Ukraine's Armed Forces, National Guard, State Border Guard Service, and State Special Transport Service, Zelensky stated.

Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of POWs said that the released prisoners included 70 men who had defended Mariupol during the Russian siege of the port city in 2022.

The coordination headquarters added that 5,757 Ukrainian prisoners had been returned through negotiations and exchanges since March 2022, while another 536 Ukrainians had returned through other means.

The prisoner exchange was the only concrete agreement to arise out of the direct talks held last week.

Ukraine and the United States have been pushing for Russia to agree to an unconditional ceasefire, but Russia "categorically" rejected the appeal in Turkey, according to First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsia, who attended the talks as a member of the Ukrainian delegation.