Ukraine signals new prisoner swap with Russia could happen this week

A new phase of prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia could take place in the coming days, as preparatory procedures continue following the previous return of Ukrainians home.

Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, said on Sunday, April 12, that the next stage could happen by the end of the week.

“I hope that around the end of the week, there will be another stage. There were purely bureaucratic procedures,” Budanov said.

He noted that the process is currently delayed due to technical and organisational issues, but work on the exchange is ongoing.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskyy stated that on April 11, 175 Ukrainian servicemen were returned from Russian captivity. Alongside them, seven Ukrainian civilians also returned home.

The Coordination Headquarters reported that this exchange was particularly significant, as among those released were individuals captured at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022.

By Jeyhun Aghazada