A large-scale prisoner exchange in the format of ‘1,000 for 1,000’ will take place next week.
This was reported to TSN.ua by the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate, Kirill Budanov.
‘I hope it will happen next week, according to the lists, you understand — there will be an exchange, let’s say, whoever we can take back, we will take back. And we will give them back in the same way,’ he clarified.
Negotiations between Ukraine and Russia took place in Istanbul on Friday, 16 May. After the meeting, Defence Minister Rustem Umerov said that a prisoner exchange in the format of ‘1,000 for 1,000’ could take place in the near future.
‘We know the date, but we will not announce it yet,’ he said.
Umerov stressed that the Ukrainian delegation has a directive from the president. According to him, during the meeting, representatives of the countries discussed issues related to the ceasefire and the exchange of prisoners.
Russian representative Vladimir Medinsky also confirmed the ‘1,000 for 1,000’ exchange in the near future.