THE AMERICA ONE NEWS
Jun 25, 2025  |  
0
 | Remer,MN
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET 
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge.
Sponsor:  QWIKET: Elevate your fantasy game! Interactive Sports Knowledge and Reasoning Support for Fantasy Sports and Betting Enthusiasts.
back  
topic
Euromaidanpress
Euromaidan Press
25 May 2025
Yuri Zoria


Zelenskyy: “303 defenders are home” after final stage of 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange

Soldiers from Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and more are now receiving medical aid and support. Among the freed are National Guard members, border guards, and Mariupol defenders.
zelenskyy “303 defenders home” after final stage 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange ukrainian soldiers returned home during 25 2025 pow russia c44c3212-56ac-455c-9982-4358cf399ef0 ukraine completed third major agreement bringing 303 president volodymyr confirmed
Ukrainian soldiers returned home during 25 May 2025 POW exchange with Russia. Photo: Telegram/Zelenskyy
Zelenskyy: “303 defenders are home” after final stage of 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange

On 25 May, Ukraine completed the third and final stage of a major 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange agreement with Russia, achieved recently in Istanbul, bringing home 303 Ukrainian defenders.

Amid the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war, this three-day “1000-for-1000” operation was the sixth prisoner swap carried out by Ukraine in 2025, and the 65th since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. The Exchange Coordination HQ reported that a total of 5757 Ukrainian citizens have been freed through organized exchanges since March 2022, with an additional 536 returned outside official swap agreements.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the news on his official Telegram channel, stating,

“303 Ukrainian defenders are home. The third part of the 1000-for-1000 exchange, agreed in Türkiye, is complete.”

Zelenskyy highlighted that the servicemen returning to Ukraine today represent the Armed Forces, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, and the State Special Transport Service.

“Thank you to the team who worked around the clock to make this exchange successful,” he added, promising that Ukraine will continue efforts to bring every prisoner home.

Troops from multiple branches among those freed

According to Ukraine’s Coordination HQ for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, the group included representatives from the Naval Forces, Air Forces, Air Assault Forces, and Territorial Defense Forces. All 303 returned individuals were men, with positions held at the rank-and-file or sergeant levels.

The freed defenders had previously served across several strategic regions, including Donetsk and Luhansk directions, as well as in Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, and Chernihiv oblasts.

Of the 303 soldiers freed in this phase, 70 were Mariupol defenders, illegally held in Russian captivity since 2022. 

Officials emphasized that all released defenders would receive necessary medical assistance, rehabilitation, as well as complete financial compensation for the time spent in captivity. Ukraine also pledged full reintegration support for all those returning after prolonged isolation under Russian control.

Exchanges

The 1000-for-1000 prisoner exchange stands as the only tangible outcome of the Istanbul negotiations with Russia held on 16 May. On 23 May, Ukraine secured the release of 270 military personnel and 120 civilians from Russian captivity, including three women and 387 men. The following day, 24 May, the second phase of the large-scale swap brought another 307 people home.