Ukraine Intensifies Efforts for Major Prisoner Swap
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared on Sunday that his government is actively working to restart a significant prisoner exchange programme with Russia. This initiative holds the potential to secure the freedom of approximately 1,200 Ukrainian captives.
In a post on the social media platform X, President Zelenskyy stated, "We are... counting on the resumption of POW exchanges." He further elaborated that numerous meetings, negotiations, and calls are currently underway to make this objective a reality, signalling a concerted diplomatic push.
Diplomatic Channels and the Istanbul Framework
The momentum for this potential swap was underscored by Rustem Umerov, the Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. On Saturday, Mr Umerov revealed that he had held consultations, mediated by both Turkey and the United Arab Emirates, focused on resuming the exchanges.
He confirmed that the involved parties had agreed to reactivate prisoner exchange agreements originally brokered in Istanbul back in 2022. These protocols established the rules for large-scale, coordinated swaps. While Russia has not yet provided an immediate public comment on these specific claims, the Istanbul framework has previously facilitated the trade of thousands of prisoners between the two nations, albeit in a sporadic manner.
Mr Umerov indicated that technical consultations would be convened shortly to finalise all procedural and organisational details. He expressed a poignant hope that the returning Ukrainians might be able to "celebrate the New Year and Christmas holidays at home — at the family table and next to their relatives."
Ongoing Conflict and Infrastructure Attacks
This diplomatic activity unfolds against a backdrop of continued violence. Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that Russian drone strikes overnight into Sunday damaged energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, including a solar power plant.
Ukraine is currently engaged in a desperate struggle to protect its power grid from relentless Russian aerial attacks. These assaults have precipitated rolling blackouts across the country just as winter approaches. The latest wave involved Russia firing a total of 176 drones and one missile overnight, according to Ukraine's air force, which claimed to have shot down or neutralised 139 of these threats.
Simultaneously, Ukraine is attempting to hold back a Russian battlefield offensive aimed at capturing the eastern stronghold of Pokrovsk. In a separate statement, Russia’s defence ministry said its forces shot down 57 Ukrainian drones overnight.
