Russia and Ukraine carried out a new prisoner exchange on July 4, 2025, as part of the agreement signed last month in Istanbul, according to a statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. The exact number of prisoners exchanged was not disclosed. This marks another step in ongoing efforts to repatriate military personnel and civilians detained during the prolonged conflict.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that a group of Russian soldiers returned from territory controlled by Kyiv’s regime, publishing a video showing approximately 15 servicemen shouting ‘Russia!’ while wrapped in Russian flags. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also confirmed the exchange, clarifying that Kyiv regained military personnel, most of whom had been held by Russia since 2022, as well as civilians.
Zelenskyy emphasized Ukraine’s commitment to freeing all its citizens held by Russia, stating, ‘Our people are home. Most of them had been held in Russian captivity since 2022. Today, our defenders who fought for Ukraine in various regions – the Donetsk region and Mariupol, the Luhansk, Kharkiv, and Kherson regions – are coming back.’
In early June 2025, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to release all prisoners of war under the age of 25 or those seriously injured, as well as return the remains of fallen soldiers — the only tangible outcome of the negotiations in Istanbul. Both sides have recently stopped providing specific figures on the number of released prisoners.
The return of Donald Trump to the White House earlier this year allowed for the resumption of direct peace talks between Ukraine and Russia in May, which had been suspended since spring 2022. However, two rounds of talks mediated by Turkey have not led to significant progress, and dates for a third round have yet to be set.
Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion over three years ago, continues to reject any long-term ceasefire. It demands that Ukraine cede four additional regions beyond Crimea, annexed in 2014, and abandon its NATO membership aspirations. These conditions remain unacceptable to Kyiv, which, alongside its European allies, insists on an unconditional 30-day ceasefire before any peace negotiations and calls for the full withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukrainian territory.