“This is a difficult and sensitive process that requires clear coordination of all state structures,” Umerov said in a statement posted to Facebook. He added that the Council of the Coordination Staff — a body that brings together key institutions including the Defense Ministry, Security Service, State Security Service, Interior Ministry and the Ombudsman’s Office — met Saturday to approve a joint plan to implement the exchange “as soon as possible.”
A report on the meeting’s outcome will be submitted to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 19, Umerov said.
“We are not stopping there,” he added. “Ukraine consistently advocates for an ‘all-for-all’ exchange. And we are moving toward this goal — step by step — to release all our prisoners of war.”
Umerov also noted that May 18 marks the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide of the Crimean Tatar People, calling it a reminder of the hundreds of political prisoners still held in Russian-occupied Crimea.
“They are tortured, denied fair trials, and their families are under constant pressure,” Umerov said. “Our duty is to release everyone.”
He thanked senior Ukrainian officials including Dmytro Lubinets, Vasyl Malyuk, Kyrylo Budanov, Ihor Klymenko, and Oleh Ivashchenko for their efforts in securing prisoner releases.
Exchange details
On May 16, Umerov announced that Ukrainian and Russian representatives had discussed the potential for a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner swap during talks in Istanbul. Deputy Defense Intelligence Chief Vadym Skibitskyi later confirmed that Russia had agreed to the proposal, and that work on compiling the lists of prisoners began that day.
CNN reported that Turkish mediators proposed the idea after negotiations stalled. According to the outlet, the lists may include not only military personnel, but also civilians and children.
On May 17, Budanov, who leads the General Directorate of Prisoners of War, said the exchange could take place as early as next week. That same day, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) confirmed it had begun preparing a list of Russian prisoners for the exchange.