Russia and Ukraine are currently engaged in a significant prisoner exchange, a Ukrainian source familiar with the situation said.
Kyiv and Moscow began exchanging hundreds of prisoners on Friday. Similar to earlier exchanges, it was anticipated that neither Ukrainian nor Russian officials would make public the fact that it was happening until it was finished. That custom was broken on Friday, though, by US President Donald Trump, who announced the swap on social media as it was happening.
The only noteworthy result of last week's meeting between Kiev and Moscow in Istanbul—the first direct meeting between the two sides since shortly after Russia's full-scale, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—was the agreement to release 1,000 prisoners on each side.
When Kyiv's European allies issued a ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum to Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin first suggested the Istanbul meeting. Many interpreted this as a blatant attempt by the Kremlin leader to divert attention and prolong the conflict.
Even though the return of hundreds of Ukrainian detainees will be a huge relief to their loved ones, it is still a bit disappointing as the only concrete result of the much-discussed meeting.
Prisoner swaps have been happening regularly, most recently earlier this month.
Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, a government department, said the exchange on May 7, which saw more than 200 Ukrainian service members return home, was the fifth swap this year and the 64th since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
The department said at the time that 4,757 Ukrainian citizens have been released since March 2022.
Ukraine and its allies demanded that Russia agree to an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Istanbul, but that did not happen.
Kyiv also offered direct talks between President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.
