Inside Ukraine’s 1,000 for 1,000 POW swap with Russia

On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began the largest prisoner exchange since 2014. Over three days, 1,000 prisoners of war (POWs) from both sides will return home in a deal agreed upon during direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul earlier this month — the first such talks between Moscow and Kyiv since 2022. The Kyiv Independent went to the site of exchange to capture the soldiers’ long-awaited return, the happy reunions, and the hopes of those families who are still waiting for their loved ones to be released.