Abuja, May 24, 2025 (dpa/CrestNewsOnline) Russia and Ukraine have began their largest prisoner exchange to date, with each side releasing 390 individuals, the Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday.

The ministry stated that 270 prisoners of war and 120 civilians were handed over by each side.

The exchange is due to continue in the coming days, it added, with up to 1,000 prisoners set to be swapped.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also confirmed the start of the exchange.

Zelensky wrote that more prisoners should be released this Saturday and Sunday.

He thanked all those involved in working to ensure that all prisoners could return home.

“We are checking every name, information on every person,” Zelensky said, adding that diplomatic efforts must continue to enable such steps.

Moscow said among the Russians returning from Ukrainian captivity were citizens from areas temporarily controlled by Kiev’s troops in Russia’s Kursk region.

“Currently, the Russian soldiers and civilians are on the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the necessary psychological and medical assistance,” the defence ministry said.

They are all expected to return to Russia soon to continue their treatment and rehabilitation in medical facilities, the ministry added.

Due to the large number of prisoners of war, the exchange will take three days.

The largest exchange so far in more than three years of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine was agreed last week during talks in Istanbul.

It was the only major outcome of the first direct Russian-Ukrainian talks since 2022, which had been primarily promoted by US President Donald Trump.

In the days since, both sides exchanged lists of names and made preparations.

Trump was the first to go public with the news of the exchange.

“Congratulations to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big???” he wrote on his Truth Social network.

(www.crestnewsonline.ng)