Yermak on the “1000 for 1000” exchange: Ukraine has fulfilled its part, Russia should speed up
22 May 21:42
The head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, said that Ukraine has completed preparations for the exchange of prisoners in the 1000 for 1000 format and urged Russia not to delay its response.
“Regarding the 1000 for 1000 exchange, Ukraine has done its part of the preparatory work, Russia should accelerate,” he wrote on Telegram, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting to prepare for the exchange. According to him, the Ukrainian side is checking the information on each person from the lists received from Russia.
The “1000 for 1000” exchange is an initiative of a large prisoner exchange between Ukraine and Russia, which provides for the mutual release of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side.
Preparations for the 1000 for 1000 exchange were publicly announced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 22, 2025. The initiative is being actively promoted by the Presidential Office, in particular, by the head of the Office, Andriy Yermak.
The purpose of the exchange
This is one of the largest potential exchanges since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Its implementation will be a significant humanitarian step and will allow the return home of a large contingent of Ukrainian defenders, who are often in extremely difficult conditions.
Ukraine has already conducted dozens of exchanges with Russia, but in 2024-2025 the pace of exchanges has slowed significantly. The last large exchange (230 for 230) took place in January 2024 after a 5-month pause. After that, there was a long stagnation, despite numerous requests from relatives of prisoners and human rights organizations.
Exchanges usually take place with the mediation of third countries (UAE, Turkey, Qatar) or with the participation of international humanitarian organizations such as the ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross). It has not been officially announced whether anyone will be involved in the case of a 1000-for-1000 exchange
