'Large-scale' prisoner exchange agreed as 2nd day of Abu Dhabi talks concludes, Umerov says
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Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new "large-scale" prisoner exchange as the second day of peace talks in Abu Dhabi concluded on Nov. 11, Ukrainian and Russian officials confirmed.
"The main result is that we managed to reach an agreement on a large-scale prisoner exchange. We are now working to agree on the details and practical implementation," Ukrainian lead negotiator Rustem Umerov said.
"Bringing our people home remains one of our main priorities. We are doing everything possible to ensure that every Ukrainian returns from captivity as soon as possible," he added.
The exchange was also confirmed by Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky, who is leading Russia's delegation.
"We reached a fundamental agreement on another large-scale prisoner exchange. Details will be announced soon," Medinsky told reporters after the second day of talks concluded.
Citing Russian General Alexander Zorin, Russian state news agency TASS claimed that the exchange "will be the largest ever, involving more than 1,000 people on each side."
A day earlier, President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two sides had discussed the possibility of a prisoner exchange in a 1,000-for-1,000 or 1,500-for-1,500 format.
Neither Kyiv nor Moscow has disclosed the exact number of people who could be included in the upcoming exchange or when it might take place.
A similar 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange took place in May 2025, following an agreement reached during Ukrainian-Russian talks in Istanbul.
The exchange took place over three days, from May 23 to 25. During the first stage, on May 23, 390 Ukrainians returned home, including 270 military personnel and 120 civilians. Another 307 Ukrainian service members were released the following day, May 24. The final stage took place on May 25, when 303 Ukrainian military personnel returned from Russian captivity.
The most recent prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine took place on Oct. 23, when 270 people returned to Ukraine, including 261 military personnel and nine civilians. The same number of people were transferred to Russia.
The latest swap was the 11th reported prisoner exchange of 2026. The previous two exchanges took place in August.
