Ukraine brought back another group of prisoners of war from Russian captivity on 14 June 2025, most of them officers, as part of exchanges under the Istanbul agreements. Complex negotiations on the next stages of the exchange are ongoing.

Source: Major Andrii Yusov, Deputy Head of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War and a representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in comments to Ukrainska Pravda and on air during the national 27/7 newscast; videos from the Coordination Headquarters; Defence Minister Rustem Umierov on Facebook; State Border Guard Service

Quote from Yusov: "A distinctive feature of today’s stage of the exchange is that it combines two categories agreed upon in Istanbul: the seriously ill and severely wounded, and young defenders aged 25 and under. Most of those brought back today are Ukrainian officers. It’s no secret that throughout the full-scale invasion, getting officers back has been a particularly difficult task. The emotions of the families today, some of whom have waited for over three years, are difficult to put into words, and this is inspiring. The work will continue."

Details: Yusov emphasised that for security reasons, the Coordination Headquarters is not disclosing the number of prisoners of war released until the major exchange under the Istanbul agreements is complete, as negotiations are ongoing. He noted that the week’s repatriation efforts have been dogged by information attacks, pressure on the negotiating team and prisoners’ families, and Russian misinformation.

"Nevertheless, Ukraine is holding firm, the negotiating group is working, and we are bringing our people home," Yusov added.

More details:Yusov confirmed that repatriation measures also took place on Saturday 14 June, and he refuted Russian propaganda claims that Ukraine has been refusing to collect the bodies of its fallen soldiers. He stated that the process is ongoing. Regarding the duration of the large-scale exchange, Yusov did not provide a specific timeline, saying: "This week has been very intense, and I think the coming days are going to be no less stressful."

Background:The Istanbul agreements reached on 2 June 2025 include an all-for-all exchange of severely wounded and young soldiers (aged 18-25) and a 6,000-for-6,000 repatriation of fallen soldiers’ bodies. Previous exchanges this week have brought back Mariupol defenders and other seriously injured captives.

Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon !