Russian State Duma MP from Chechnya reports second phase of POW exchange with Ukraine

As part of the second phase of exchange of prisoners of war (POWs), agreement on which were reached at Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul, 307 Russian POWs returned to their homeland.

On May 23, within the POW exchange under the 1000 for 1000 formula, 390 persons were released from captivity from the Russian and Ukrainian parties, including 120 civilians, who returned to Russia.

The second phase of the large-scale POW exchange under the 1000/1000 formula, agreed upon during the Russian-Ukrainian Istanbul talks has taken place. Today, 307 of our servicemen returned to Russia from Ukrainian captivity by the efforts of the Russian Ministry of Defence (MoD), and 307 persons were transferred to Ukraine, Shamsail Saraliev, a Russian State Duma MP from Chechnya and a member of the Parliamentary Coordination Group on the issues of the special military operation (SMO), reported in his Telegram channel on May 24.

Russian POWs were transferred to the territory of the Republic of Belarus, where they are receiving the needed psychological and medical help, the Russian MoD has reported.

In the evening on May 24, an airplane carrying 307 Russian POWs who returned from the Ukrainian captivity landed in the Moscow Region, the TASS News Agency has reported.

The activists of the public movement engaged in searching and returning home of Russian POWs entitled "Our Way Out", who are taking part in exchange preparations, reported that the lists of all the POWs, who returned to Russia, will be published upon completion of all the exchange phases.

This was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 24, 2025 at 10:50 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

Return of Russian POWs: still frame from the video of the Russian MoD from May 24, 2025: https://t.me/mod_russia.