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Russia and Ukraine have completed the first phase of what is set to become the largest prisoner exchange since the onset of the war in 2022. Nearly 800 detainees were exchanged on May 23, 2025, with the process expected to continue over the weekend, according to statements released by both Kyiv and Moscow.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that 390 Ukrainians, 270 military personnel, and 120 civilian detainees had returned home.

“It’s very important to bring everyone home,” Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram. He expressed gratitude to all those involved in negotiating the release and vowed to persist in diplomatic efforts to facilitate additional exchanges.

The Russian Defense Ministry mirrored the figures, stating that 270 Russian military personnel and 120 civilians had been repatriated. “The exchange is planned to continue in the coming days,” the ministry confirmed.

Agreement reached in Istanbul

The large-scale exchange follows direct peace talks held last week in Istanbul—the first such meeting between Ukraine and Russia since the early stages of Russia’s full-scale invasion. Despite the brevity of the talks, which lasted only two hours and failed to yield a ceasefire agreement, the deal to release 1,000 prisoners from each side was the only tangible outcome.

The Istanbul meeting was initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin in reaction to mounting international pressure, including a ceasefire-or-sanctions ultimatum from Ukraine’s European allies. The meeting was seen by many as a maneuver by the Kremlin to stall for time.

While the prisoner swap is viewed as a humanitarian breakthrough, it has not translated into de-escalation on the battlefield. Hours after the exchange began, Russian forces launched two ballistic missiles at infrastructure in the southern port city of Odesa, killing one worker and injuring eight others, four of them critically, according to regional Governor Oleh Kiper. It was the first attack on the port since March 11.

Exchange near Belarus

According to a Ukrainian official the exchange took place at the Belarus-Ukrainian border in northern Ukraine. After their release, the Russian detainees were transported to Belarus for medical evaluation and treatment, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

On the Ukrainian side, the returnees were greeted at a facility in the Chernihiv region, where relatives gathered anxiously, many holding Ukrainian flags and photographs of loved ones. Air raid sirens rang out across the country during the proceedings, underscoring the ongoing dangers despite the moment of relief.

“We are bringing our people home,” Zelenskyy reiterated in a post on the social media platform X, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to securing the release of all Ukrainian citizens held in Russian custody.

The Ukrainian Coordination Center for Treatment of Prisoners of War reported that the group of released detainees on Friday included three women and 387 men. Significantly, the swap marks the largest single release of Ukrainian civilians since the war began.

Ukraine considers many of the civilians captured by Russia to be hostages, held without charge or trial after being forcibly taken from occupied territories and deported into Russia. While Russia has at times sought to classify these individuals as prisoners of war, Kyiv has resisted such labels, warning it could legitimize arbitrary detentions in occupied regions.

The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the 120 civilians returned to Russia had been captured by Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region, a territory into which Ukraine had launched a surprise incursion last summer, before Russia regained control.

Previous exchanges

Friday’s swap follows a pattern of smaller, more frequent exchanges between the two countries. According to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the exchange earlier this month on May 7, returning over 200 Ukrainian service members, was the fifth such operation this year and the 64th since March 2022.

The department noted that 4,757 Ukrainian citizens have been released through prisoner swaps since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

Despite the consistency of these exchanges, Ukrainian and Russian authorities typically refrain from publicly announcing them until they are completed. However, U.S. President Donald Trump broke protocol by announcing Friday’s exchange while it was still underway, posting about the development on social media.

A glimmer of hope

While the prisoner swap brought joy to hundreds of families on both sides, it did little to change the grim trajectory of the war, now in its third year. The roughly 1,000-kilometer front line remains intensely active, with neither side scaling back deep-strike operations.

In Istanbul, Ukrainian representatives called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire, an appeal that Russia dismissed. Kyiv also proposed direct talks between Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin, but no such meeting has yet been scheduled.

Although the return of nearly 800 captives is a humanitarian milestone, analysts caution that it may serve as a temporary distraction from the broader failure to reach a political resolution.

As fighting continues, the international community remains divided on how best to pressure Moscow into negotiations. Meanwhile, for the families of those still in captivity, hopes now rest on the promise of more exchanges in the coming days, small rays of light amid a long, dark conflict.