The governments of Ukraine and Russia have reached a significant agreement during recent negotiations held in Istanbul. The deal involves a one-for-one prisoner exchange, with 1,000 Ukrainian captives to be returned in exchange for 1,000 Russian detainees. The agreement was announced by Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, during a televised broadcast on Saturday, May 17.
Budanov expressed hope that the exchange will be carried out next week, although he cautioned that the final lists are still being processed. “I hope this will happen next week,” Budanov said. “According to the lists, you understand – there will be an exchange, let us say, we will take whoever we can take – we will take. And we will give it back in the same way.”
The planned operation marks one of the largest such exchanges since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. The formula for the exchange, which has been described as “1000 for 1000,” was agreed upon after extensive discussions between the two delegations on 16 May.
Ukraine’s intelligence service confirmed that the Russian side had agreed in principle to the terms. Preparations are already underway, with Ukrainian authorities working to finalise the names of the individuals eligible to return home. These include military personnel and civilians who have been held captive for months, in some cases under harrowing conditions in Russian-controlled territories.
