A new stage of the prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia may take place as early as the end of next week. This was announced by the head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Budanov, who noted that relevant negotiations are ongoing following the successful return of 182 Ukrainians on April 11.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Preparation for the next prisoner exchange
Budanov emphasized that preparations for a new prisoner exchange are actively underway. He explained that the process had been delayed due to complex bureaucratic procedures, but there is hope that another stage of the exchange will occur by the end of next week.
“I hope that by the end of the week there will be another stage. There were purely bureaucratic procedures involved,” Budanov noted.
Return of Ukrainians and the role of partners
On April 11, another prisoner exchange took place: 175 Ukrainian soldiers and seven civilians returned home. President Volodymyr Zelensky has already confirmed this information, emphasizing the importance of continuing work in this direction.
Kyrylo Budanov also noted that each exchange is the result of months of intense negotiations and collaborative efforts by many specialists. According to him, the support of international partners is often crucial, as organizing separate exchanges would be extremely difficult or even impossible without it.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, in a statement marking the fourth anniversary of the establishment of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, reported that over the past four years, 8,669 Ukrainian citizens have been returned home, including both military personnel and civilians.