The final stage of the “1000 for 1000” prisoner exchange between Ukraine and the Russian Federation has taken place
The third, final stage of the large-scale prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia in the “1000 for 1000” format took place. Another 303 Ukrainian defenders returned home. About this reported President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi.
“303 Ukrainian defenders are at home. The third part of the exchange in the format of 1000 for 1000, which was agreed in Turkey, has been completed. Today the soldiers of our army, the National Guard, the State Border Service and the State Special Transport Service are returning. Thanks to the team that worked around the clock to successfully implement this exchange. We will definitely return each and every one of them from Russian captivity!” – emphasized the head of state.
In the Coordination Headquarters for the treatment of prisoners of war clarified, that among those released are servicemen of the Navy, Air Force, Assault Troops, Territorial Defense Forces, as well as the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service. All of them are men, private and non-commissioned officers.
The defenders defended Ukraine in various directions — Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, as well as Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv regions. Those released will receive a full range of medical care, rehabilitation, proper cash payments for the time of captivity and one-time financial assistance. The Ukrainian state guarantees them support in the process of reintegration after a long stay in Russian captivity.
The coordination headquarters continues the search and return of all Ukrainian citizens. During the two previous stages of the exchange, 397 Ukrainians were returned. In total, this is the sixth exchange in 2025 and the 65th since the start of the full-scale invasion. As of March 2022, 5,757 Ukrainian citizens were freed from captivity as part of the negotiation process and exchanges. Another 536 people were returned outside of exchanges.
