Kyiv says 400 collaborators await transfer to Russia in POW swaps

The I Want to Go Home project is a public list of people convicted of treason and collaboration who want to leave for Russia in exchange for the return of Ukrainians from captivity. More than 400 collaborators were waiting to be sent to Russia as of May 1 after agreeing to take part in the project, Yusov said. Another 70 people have already left for Russia.

The I Want to Live project, created for Russian soldiers who voluntarily surrender, has recorded more than 50 million visits to its website, including 43 million from inside Russia. Yusov said the project has received more than 53,000 applications and recorded more than 400 successful cases of surrender or defection to Ukraine’s security and defense forces.

The I Want to Find project, a central hub for searches involving Russian soldiers in Ukraine, had received 198,895 verified requests from Russian citizens as of May 1. The project has confirmed that 3,861 Russian service members are prisoners of war, Yusov said.

Background on POW exchanges

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a “1,000-for-1,000” exchange on May 8 during a three-day ceasefire. Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said the delay was caused solely by Russia’s position. Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine during the May 9 parade of refusing the exchange — claims the President’s Office denied.

The first stage of the exchange took place on May 15, when 205 service members returned to Ukraine. Zelenskyy said on May 16 that preparations were already underway for the next stages of the exchange in the same format.