Zelenskyy: Progress Made in Prisoner Exchange Talks with Russia

WISE NEWS PRESS / KYIV, UKRAINE — NOVEMBER 17, 2025

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday that his country is working to resume prisoner exchanges with Russia, a move that could potentially lead to the return of 1,200 Ukrainian captives.

Zelenskyy stated on X (formerly Twitter), "We expect the resumption of exchanges. A large number of meetings, negotiations, and phone calls are currently underway to ensure this." His statement follows intense diplomatic efforts to restart the coordinated prisoner swaps, which have become sporadic over the past year.

Prisoner Swap Agreements Reactivated

The efforts were confirmed by Rustem Umerov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, who said that consultations mediated by Turkey and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on Saturday led to steps being taken to resume the exchanges.

Umerov indicated that the two sides agreed to reactivate the prisoner exchange agreements brokered in Istanbul in 2022, which initially envisioned the release of 1,200 Ukrainians. Moscow did not immediately comment on the claim. These Istanbul agreements set the framework for large, coordinated prisoner exchanges. While thousands of prisoners have been exchanged since then, the process has lacked regularity.

Umerov expressed hope that technical negotiations to finalize organizational details would soon follow, allowing Ukrainian captives to spend the "New Year and Christmas holidays at home at the family table, next to their loved ones."

Russian Strikes Target Energy Infrastructure

While diplomatic efforts continued, Russian attacks persisted. The Ukrainian Emergency Service reported that Russian drone strikes in the early hours of Sunday damaged energy infrastructure in the Odesa region, including a solar power plant.

Ukraine is struggling to counter intense Russian aerial attacks that are causing widespread power outages as winter approaches. The intensified missile and drone attacks come as Ukraine attempts to halt Russia’s offensive to seize the eastern city of Pokrovsk.

Frontline Situation and Attacks

The Russian military claimed to have captured the villages of Rivnopillia and Mala Tokmachka in southern Ukraine, where it has been making slow advances against small Ukrainian units. The Ministry of Defense had previously announced the capture of two other settlements earlier in the week.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported a significant surge in attacks, stating that Russia had launched a total of 1,217 missile and drone strikes since November 9. On Sunday morning alone, Russia launched 176 drones and one missile, of which Ukrainian forces destroyed 139.

The drones reportedly targeted 14 different regions and were launched from the directions of Kursk, Oryol, Millerovo, Primorsko-Akhtarsk, and the occupied territory of Crimea’s Charda. Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, confirmed that energy facilities in Odesa were targeted and that a fire at a solar power plant was quickly extinguished.

Zelenskyy confirmed that recovery efforts were underway across the country, stating on X, "Recovery efforts are underway in the Kharkiv, Odesa, Dnipro, Chernihiv, and Sumy regions."

Russia Claims Downing of Ukrainian Drones

Meanwhile, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces had shot down 57 Ukrainian drones on Sunday morning. Governors of Russia's Volgograd and Voronezh regions also announced via Telegram channels that drone attacks had been repelled on the night of November 16.

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