Zelenskyy on 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap: Ukraine is verifying details of every individual listed by Russia
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a meeting on preparations for a potential prisoner swap between Ukraine and Russia in the thousand-for-thousand format. He has stated that Ukraine is currently examining the list of individuals submitted by the Russian side.
Source: Zelenskyy on X (Twitter)
Quote: "I held a meeting on the preparation for an exchange. The agreement to release 1,000 of our people from Russian captivity was perhaps the only tangible result of the meeting in Türkiye. We are working to ensure that this result is achieved.
Reports were presented on contacts with the Russians. Ukraine's Minister of Defence, Rustem Umierov, is overseeing the organisation of the process and the implementation of the agreement…
We are clarifying the details for each individual included on the lists submitted by the Russian side."
Details: Zelenskyy said that the exchange process involves Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the Security Service, Foreign Intelligence Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian Parliament) and the team of the President's Office.
He added that "returning all of our people from Russian captivity is one of Ukraine's key objectives".
Background:
Zelenskyy previously stated that the possibility of a prisoner swap in the thousand-for-thousand format had been discussed with Russia. Ukraine also raised the issue of releasing political prisoners and journalists.
Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU), expressed confidence that a prisoner exchange in the thousand-for-thousand format with Russia would occur next week.
On 16 May, Vadym Skibitskyi, Deputy Head of DIU, said that Ukraine had begun reviewing the lists of POWs who are to be brought back to Ukraine as part of a prisoner swap with Russia in the thousand-for-thousand format.
On 16 May 2025, the delegations of Ukraine and Russia reached an agreement in Istanbul on the simultaneous release and exchange of 1,000 POWs on each side.
On 17 May, the Security Service of Ukraine began preparations for the implementation of the agreement on the exchange of prisoners between Russia and Ukraine in the thousand-for-thousand format.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
31 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Inside Russia, calls for peace come with conditions — and Kremlin talking points
Following the second round of direct peace talks with Ukraine, the Russian side leaked its proposal on how to end its war — effectively a demand for Ukraine's surrender. Yet, if the intentions of the Kremlin are no secret — continue the war until a political or military victory — getting information on what people in Russia think of their country's war and the prospects for peace is a more complicated endeavor. While those based in Russia interviewed by the Kyiv Independent share a desire for peace, they are no supporters of Ukraine and its sovereignty. Despite speaking on condition of anonymity and with the ability to freely express their views, Russians inside the country spoke along the official Russian lines — accusing Ukraine of stalling the negotiations or even arguing that there will be no peace as long as Ukraine remains an independent country. These views are in line with polls conducted in Russia, which some believe are untrustworthy. Around 64% of the respondents in Russia favored peace talks, according to a poll by the independent Russian pollster Levada Center published on June 2. However, a majority of respondents (73%) believe that Ukraine should make concessions prior to a ceasefire. Only 18% think that Moscow should agree to a ceasefire and then resolve all other issues. Read also: 5 Ukrainian regions, ban on NATO, limits on Kyiv's army — Russian media publishes Moscow's official peace demands The Kyiv Independent interviewed people with different backgrounds and views, including those who have a track record of being opposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin's regime. They spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals. One of them, a 40-year-old photographer, used to attend rallies against Putin. Yet the photographer's past opposition to Putin did not make her a supporter of Ukraine, nor did it mean she acknowledged her country's faults. In a conversation with the Kyiv Independent, the photographer expressed nostalgia for the Soviet Union and said that she believes there will be no peace until former Soviet republics are reunited under the Kremlin's wing. "Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus would unite into one country," she said. "And then there would be no more problems. And all the foreign agents would get kicked out." She also argued that "recognizing all the (occupied) territories as part of Russia is a done deal." Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula in 2014. The Kremlin also announced the illegal annexation of Ukraine's Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk oblasts in 2022 despite only partially controlling them. According to a document leaked after the second round of talks with Ukraine, Russia is demanding the official recognition of all these annexations. Additional demands include Ukraine's neutral status, a ban on the country's NATO bid and other possible military alliances, and an official end to Western arms supplies and intelligence sharing with Ukraine. According to a source in the Ukrainian President's Office, the Russian delegation effectively showed it doesn't want a peace settlement and is simply buying time to prolong the war. President Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly stated that Kyiv would not recognize any of the occupied territories as Russian. Read also: Who is Vladimir Medinsky? The Putin aide leading Russia's delegation at Ukraine peace talks Unlike the photographer, a Russian official who previously worked with Putin's aide Vladimir Medinsky, the head of the Russian delegation during the Istanbul talks, was more ambivalent. He opposed Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 but has grown more skeptical of Kyiv's position since then and accused Ukraine of stalling the negotiations. The official shared his personal opinion. He is not connected to the actual talks. He told the Kyiv Independent that "any negotiations are a good thing." "It's a step forward," he said. "It's better than a demonstrative refusal to negotiate. I agree with (U.S. President Donald) Trump that people shouldn't be dying. Enough already." He argued, however, that an unconditional ceasefire is currently "technically and politically impossible" because it would be to "Ukraine's advantage." He accused Ukraine of disrupting the talks, saying that it had not sent a proper negotiating team to Istanbul. Ukraine has sent a delegation headed by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov to Istanbul, while Russia has sent a low-level delegation headed by Medinsky. The official claimed that Ukraine "got carried away and deceived itself with their own propaganda" and "put too much faith in their (Western) partners," the points often mentioned by Russian state TV. Putin did not attend the Istanbul peace talks despite an invitation from Zelensky to meet him face-to-face. Ukrainian and Western observers have argued that Russia is disrupting the peace negotiations. The official, who used to work with Medinsky in a field unrelated to negotiations, went on to praise him as a manager and negotiator. Read also: As Russia refuses to accept ceasefire, will Trump pressure Moscow? An IT specialist living in Russia offered a third perspective, blaming neither Moscow nor Kyiv for the war. "My attitude toward political events is similar to how I view developments on financial markets... or even like the weather," he told the Kyiv Independent. "In my worldview, what happens in all these spheres is the result of a sufficiently large number of actors and factors... rather than the result of malice, stupidity, or genius on the part of specific individuals." He said he would be calm about any outcome of the peace talks. The IT professional told the Kyiv Independent, however, that the war had had a negative impact on his life from a practical standpoint: salaries in the IT sector have dropped, there are fewer job opportunities, and there are major difficulties with accepting payments from abroad. He also said that financially he can afford not to work but has to have a permanent job to defer potential mobilization. "But in my view, neither peace nor a ceasefire in Ukraine would actually resolve any of the above problems," he said. "Once this episode of the confrontation ends, another one will just begin." He added that "the key indicator of readiness to end the confrontation is the willingness of all parties to agree on the legal status of the disputed territories." "We're nowhere near that," he continued. Read also: 'There we go again' — For war-weary Europe, Trump-Putin call yet another signal to 'wake up' In contrast with those based in Russia, Russian political exiles living abroad put the blame squarely on Putin, although they did not blame the Russian people in general for continuing to wage it. "(Putin is) continuing the war while dragging out these endless negotiations — talks about talks, meetings for the sake of more meetings — hiding everything behind vague, meaningless language, all while keeping the war going," Russian opposition politician Vladimir Kara-Murza told the Kyiv Independent. Kara-Murza survived poisoning attempts by Russia's Federal Security Service in 2015 and 2021, according to Bellingcat, Der Spiegel, and The Insider. He was jailed in Russia in 2023 for criticizing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and released and sent abroad in 2024 as part of a prisoner exchange with the West. Kara-Murza also said that "Putin is playing Trump brilliantly — because if you just listen to the tone of Trump's statement, it was filled with admiration and enthusiasm after a conversation that, once again, was absolutely meaningless in substance." He was referring to Trump's statement after a phone call with Putin on May 19, during which the Russian president again rejected an unconditional ceasefire. Trump said the call "went very well" and once again refused to impose sanctions against Russia. Kara-Murza argued that Trump and Putin get along because "they have the same kind of authoritarian mindset, they share the same psychological profile." "I think Trump really wanted to rule the way Putin does — without checks and balances, without a parliament, without opposition, without an independent press," he added. "Even people who were present at their meetings during his first term have said that Trump, in Putin's presence, was like a rabbit staring at a boa constrictor. So I think Trump genuinely admires Putin — personally and sincerely — and wants to be like him." Kara-Murza is skeptical about the prospects for peace under Putin. "I'm convinced that no lasting, long-term — let alone just — peace can exist or will exist as long as Putin's regime remains in power," Kara-Murza said. He said that "the only real way to stop this war is a democratic Russia." "Only when Russia has a normal, legitimate, freely elected government that respects its own laws and the rights of its own citizens will it begin to respect civilized norms of international behavior and return to its internationally recognized borders," Kara-Murza added. In contrast with Kara-Murza, Russians inside the country who spoke on condition of anonymity were more ambivalent about Putin's role, often blaming Ukraine or both sides. At the same time, Kara-Murza does not extend the blame for the war to Russia as a whole. In 2024, he criticized the sanctions imposed against Russia, saying that only individual sanctions against Putin's inner circle were appropriate. Read also: 'Conditions for Ukraine's surrender' — Why Putin's demands for ceasefire make no sense Another Russian opposition figure, former World Chess Champion Garry Kasparov, is on the far end of the spectrum — he is one of the few Russians who unequivocally support sanctions against Russia and call for Ukraine's victory. He told the Kyiv Independent that "Putin wants to use negotiations to buy time, to normalize his status as a legitimate leader instead of an invading war criminal, and to distract and sideline Ukraine's allies from taking stronger action against Russia." "Putin's impossible demands have not changed," he added. "He's not offering any concessions, and Trump isn't asking Russia to make any. Despite Putin ignoring European and American deadlines for a ceasefire, the only pressure Trump applies is against Ukraine." Kasparov also said that "until there is real pressure via military aid to Ukraine and crippling sanctions on Russia… Putin will have no interest in ending the war." "As I have said from the start, the only real peace is Ukrainian victory," he added. Kasparov said that Trump "is working together with Putin to pressure Ukraine into surrendering so he can claim to be a peacemaker." "Trump gave a deadline (for a ceasefire), Putin ignored it," he added. "In their phone call, Putin spouted a bunch of garbage about plans and frameworks, and Trump just said it was all fine." Read also: Can Russia sustain its war effort as ruble plummets, inflation soars? Arkady Moshes, a Russian-born researcher at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs, argued that "there is nothing to talk about" as far as Russian-Ukrainian talks are concerned. "(Russia) is playing for time," he said. "They only agreed to imitate their participation in the negotiations because America wanted it. They want to give Trump a chance to say to his audience that he has already brokered something." He also said that Putin "is interested in continuing the warfare." "He's still driven by the thinking that Russia has material advantages over Ukraine," Moshes added. "So Putin still plays for victory and not a draw." He said Russia's maximalist demands and unwillingness to compromise show that it is not interested in peace. "This is the plan, that you come to the talks, put forward maximalist demands, and then blame the other side for not agreeing," Moshes added. After deadly Russian missile and drone attacks in May, Trump expressed strong disapproval of the latest escalation. "I'm not happy with Putin," he told reporters on May 25, adding on Truth Social that the Russian president has gone "absolutely" crazy. So Trump "faced the wall" and "had to make choices" — either to impose sanctions on Russia or not, Moshes said. But instead of actually imposing sanctions, Trump just threatened to do so without taking any action, he added. "Putin is not afraid of these kinds of threats," Moshes said. "He would be afraid of sanctions, but not of threat of sanctions." Read also: 'Trump doesn't know how to deal with gangsters' — US lets Ukraine down, once again We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces replaced
Colonel Vadym Sukharevskyi has been dismissed from his position as commander of Ukraine's Unmanned Systems Forces (USF), according to a decree signed by President Volodymyr Zelensky on June 3. Sukharevskyi will be replaced by Major Robert "Magyar" Brovdi, commander of the elite drone unit "Birds of Magyar." The Unmanned Systems Forces were established as a separate branch of Ukraine's military in June 2024. The USF works to improve Ukraine's drone operations, creating drone-specific units, ramping up training, increasing drone production, and pushing innovation. The USF has also carried out hundreds of operations deep within Russian territory. "I am proud to have had the honor of leading the USF during its first and most difficult year of formation," Sukharevskyi said in a post commenting on his dismissal. "This year, although incomplete, has been spent productively. We have formed and immediately put into practice the principles on which this unique force operates. ... At the same time, at this stage, our vision for the further development of the USF differs from that of the leadership. I believe that the honest and professional decision in this situation is to end my term as commander of the USF. I am leaving my position with deep faith in everyone who continues to carry this idea forward." Read also: As Ukraine's fate hangs in the balance, 'Soviet' command culture damages war effort Sukharevskyi, previously deputy commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces, was named the first commander of the newly-created USF on June 10, 2024. According to military personnel who spoke anonymously to the Ukrainian news outlet Suspilne, Sukharevskyi's relationship with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi was tense from the beginning of the USF's formation. Sukharevskyi's appointment was a decision from the president, not Syrskyi, sources said. People close to both Syrskyi and Sukharevskyi also claimed the two men avoided face-to-face interactions. According to Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Sukharevskyi has now been appointed deputy commander of Ukraine's Eastern Operational Command, where he is expected to implement reforms and lead modernization efforts. Regarding the decision to appoint Brovdi as the new USF commander, Umerov said that Brovdi's "experience with one of the best units should be expanded to the entire command." Along with Sukharevskyi's dismissal and replacement, Ukraine's leadership announced a number of military personnel decisions on June 3, including the appointment of Mykhailo Drapatyi as Commander of the Joint Forces. Drapatyi previously resigned from his position as Ground Forces Commander on June 1 following a deadly Russian missile strike that killed at least 12 Ukrainian soldiers at a training camp in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast that day. We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
an hour ago
Putin's uncompromising demands emerge after the latest round of Russia-Ukraine peace talks
Russia took weeks to present to Ukraine with a 'memorandum' setting out its conditions for a ceasefire, as well as key guidelines for a comprehensive treaty to end the more than 3-year-old war. To practically no one's surprise, it's a list of the Kremlin's longstanding, maximalist demands that Kyiv and its Western allies see as nonstarters. Ukraine had set its negotiating stance before Monday's direct peace talks in Istanbul, emphasizing its readiness to declare a 30-day ceasefire immediately without preconditions that was proposed by U.S. President Donald Trump. Kyiv reaffirmed its refusal to abandon a bid for NATO membership and rejected acknowledgment of Russia's annexation of any of its regions. Both sides have established mutually exclusive red lines that make any quick deal unlikely. Moscow's demands, published in the Russian media, make it clear that President Vladimir Putin is determined to ensure the fulfillment of the goals in Ukraine he set when he launched the invasion on Feb. 24, 2022. Key points of the Russian and Ukrainian documents: Russia offered Ukraine a choice of two options for establishing a 30-day ceasefire. One option is that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson — the four regions Moscow illegally annexed in September 2022 but never fully captured. The second option described by Moscow as the 'package' proposal, presses Ukraine to halt its mobilization efforts and freeze Western arms deliveries — conditions that were suggested earlier by Putin. On top of that, the document also demands that Ukraine begin demobilizing its military, halt any redeployment of forces and ban the presence of any third-country forces on its soil. The 'package' option further proposes that Ukraine end martial law and hold elections, after which the two countries could sign a comprehensive peace treaty. The Russian document declares that conditions for peace must include the 'international legal recognition' of Moscow's 2014 annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and its 2022 annexation of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. It says a future peace treaty should have Ukraine declare its neutral status between Russia and the West, and abandon its bid to join NATO. The document demands that Ukraine limit the size of its armed forces, recognize Russian as an official language on par with Ukrainian, ban 'glorification and propaganda of Nazism and neo-Nazism' and dissolve nationalist groups -– conditions reflecting Putin's goals from the outset of his invasion. The false allegations that neo-Nazi groups were shaping Ukraine's politics under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who is Jewish, have been vehemently dismissed by Kyiv and its Western allies. In Russia's view, a comprehensive peace treaty should also see both countries lift all sanctions and restrictions, abandon any claims to compensation for wartime damage, resume trade and communications, and reestablish diplomatic ties. It also suggests that the peace treaty between Russian and Ukraine be endorsed by a resolution of the U.N. Security Council. The memorandum that Ukraine submitted to Moscow before the talks and shared with its allies emphasized the need for a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to set stage for peace negotiations. It reaffirmed Ukraine's consistent rejection of Russian demands for neutral status as an attack on its sovereignty, declaring it is free to choose its alliances and adding that its NATO membership will depend on consensus with the alliance. It emphasized Kyiv's rejection of any restrictions on the size and other parameters of its armed forces, as well as curbs on the presence of foreign troops on its soil. Ukraine's memorandum also opposed recognizing any Russian territorial gains, while describing the current line of contact as a starting point in negotiations. The document noted the need for international security guarantees to ensure the implementation of peace agreements and prevent further aggression. The Ukrainian peace proposal also demanded the return of all deported and illegally displaced Ukrainian children and an 'all-for-all' prisoner exchange. It held the door open to gradual lifting of some of the sanctions against Russia if it abides by the agreeme The sharply conflicting demands leave little hope for any quick progress in talks. By maintaining its maximalist demands, Moscow is seemingly unfazed by repeated threats of sanctions by the West or other pressure to make real concessions. Some observers see the Russian memorandum as a way by Moscow to formalize its negotiation position. 'Even an unsigned document gives the Kremlin a firmer diplomatic foothold,' said Moscow-based defense analyst Sergei Poletaev. Tatiana Stanovaya of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center noted that the document reflects Putin's key goal of of securing a 'friendly' Ukraine without a full-fledged military or ties of any kind with its Western allies. She noted the Russian document offers Ukraine a choice between the two options because Moscow knows that a Ukrainian withdrawal from the four regions "is not viable and seeks to push Kyiv toward the second as the primary course.' At the same time, Moscow's memorandum appears to indicate that 'Russia is open to considering leaving parts of the annexed regions that it does not control to Ukraine.' Stanovaya said Moscow's maximalist demands mean that 'the fighting is set to continue, even if bilateral interactions persist.'
