Ukraine’s Zelensky confirms 1,200 POWs being prepared for exchange with Russia
Developments emerge amid fresh drone strikes on Russian territory and continued fighting in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday confirmed a previously discussed prisoner of war (POW) exchange with Russia, which had already mentioned the swap.
Zelensky, in a post on Telegram, said a list of 1,200 names was being worked on. Russian negotiators had mentioned that figure during direct talks with their Ukrainian counterparts in Istanbul on July 23, while the Ukrainians did not release a number then.
He added that preparations for another meeting with the Russian side were proceeding, without mentioning a date.
At the end of July, Zelensky said a total of 5,857 people had been returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity since the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. An additional 555 people had been freed apart from the exchanges, he reported on social media.