Russia-Ukraine Prisoner Swap: 307 Ukrainian defenders return home, says President Volodymyr Zelensky

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday said 307 Ukrainian defenders have returned to the country as the first stage of its prisoner exchange programme with Russia entered its second day.

In a post on X, Zelensky said that he expects the process to continue tomorrow as well, adding that the people who returned today include Ukraine's Armed Forces and National Guard among others.

“Another 307 Ukrainian defenders are home. Today is the second day of the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange that we managed to negotiate in Turkiye. In just these two days, 697 people have been brought home,” he said.

“We expect the process to continue tomorrow. Among those who returned today are warriors from our Armed Forces, the State Border Guard Service, the National Guard of Ukraine,” the Ukrainian President added.

The prisoner exchange agreement between Russia and Ukraine was made in Istanbul on May 16 during a short-lived talk between officials for both the countries. When completed, the move will see a swap of 1,000 prisoners each from both sides in the largest such exchange between the two countries in their three-year war.

Zelensky further said that Ukraine's goal is to bring back every single person back from the captivity of Russia.

“I thank everyone involved in the exchange process, those who have been working around the clock. Our goal is to bring every single person back from Russian captivity. We continue cooperating with our partners to make this possible,” he said.

According to Al Jazeera, Russia's Ministry of Defence said on Saturday that it released 307 Ukrainian POWs in exchange for as many Russian servicemen, who are being cared for in Belarus before their return to Russia.

Russia-Ukraine prisoner swap begins

The first part exchange, which started on Friday, saw an exchange of 390 Russians and Ukrainians, including 120 civilians.

On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia would be ready to hand Ukraine a draft document outlining conditions for a long-term peace agreement once the current prisoner exchange was completed.

The development comes following the Russian drone and missile attack in Kyiv on Friday, targeting civilians and causing widespread damage and casualties.

Sharing a post on X on Saturday, Zelensky said, “Fragments of Russian missiles and drones are being cleared in Kyiv. Rescue and emergency operations are ongoing at the sites of strikes and debris impacts -- wherever they are needed. There were many fires and explosions in the city overnight. Once again, residential buildings, cars, businesses have been damaged. Sadly, there are injuries.”