On Saturday, Russia and Ukraine announced that they had exchanged 307 prisoners of war, the largest exchange since the onset of the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated on his official Telegram channel, "Among those returning today are our military personnel, border guards, and members of the National Guard of Ukraine."

The Russian Ministry of Defense added that this exchange would continue but did not provide further details. Both sides confirmed on Friday that they had each transferred 390 prisoners, with Zelenskyy stating that 390 prisoners had returned to Russia. The Russian defense ministry reported that both sides released 270 soldiers and 120 civilians.

Zelenskyy noted on X (formerly Twitter) that this exchange is the first phase of the “1000 for 1000” agreement reached during talks in Istanbul. After more than three years of fighting, both sides are currently holding thousands of prisoners. It is widely believed that Russia holds a larger number of prisoners, estimated at between 8,000 to 10,000 Ukrainians. This exchange took place against the backdrop of new diplomatic efforts to end the war, with Russian and Ukrainian officials having face-to-face negotiations in Istanbul last week, the first such contact since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Despite the exchange, fighting has not ceased; Kyiv was subjected to a large-scale drone and missile attack from Russia on Saturday morning, resulting in at least 15 injuries. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that debris from a drone struck the upper floors of an apartment building in the Solomiansky district of the Ukrainian capital, leaving at least two people requiring hospitalization.