--- title: "Zelenskyy Announces Largest-Ever Prisoner Exchange Between Ukraine and Russia" description: "In Dublin, following a meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, Zelenskyy announced the largest-ever prisoner-of-war exchange between Ukraine and Russia. According to him, the deal has also been confirmed by the American side." date: 2026-11-12T22:42:30.989Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelenskyy-announces-largest-prisoner-exchange tags: [ukraine-russia, prisoner-exchange, zelensky, witkoff, kushner, dublin, peace-talks] author: "Alexander Buran, Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Zelenskyy Announces Largest-Ever Prisoner Exchange Between Ukraine and Russia ![Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a desk looking at a smartphone screen during a video call.](https://xab.info/media/2026/11/12/zelensky-anonsiroval-krupneyshiy-obmen-plennymi/zelensky-anonsiroval-krupneyshiy-obmen-plennymi-1.webp) ## Key Points - Zelenskyy announced the largest-ever prisoner-of-war exchange between Ukraine and Russia in Dublin. - The meeting took place at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel following Witkoff and Kushner's Moscow visit to Putin. - According to Zelenskyy, both the Russian and American sides have confirmed the deal. - Earlier, a prisoner exchange in a "1000 for 1000" or "1500 for 1500" format was discussed during talks in Abu Dhabi. - The previous exchange on October 23 brought 270 Ukrainians home. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a meeting with American representatives in Dublin, announced the largest prisoner-of-war exchange in history between Ukraine and Russia. The head of state announced this while speaking to the press, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing the Office of the President. According to Zelenskyy, following the Russian side, the American side has also confirmed the deal, and the format of the exchange, in his estimation, will be unprecedented in scale. ### Meeting in Dublin: Results of the Moscow Visit Zelenskyy's contact with US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner took place at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel, west of Dublin, Ireland. The meeting occurred after Witkoff and Kushner returned from talks in Moscow, where they met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 12. According to Vedomosti, during the Moscow meeting, Putin stated that territorial issues regarding the situation around Ukraine are raised from various sides, but people matter more to Russia. Following this, Witkoff also announced the largest prisoner exchange in history between Russia and Ukraine. ### "The Largest Exchange": What Zelenskyy Said "First, the result is very important, and now, following Russia, the American side has also confirmed that we will exchange prisoners of war. As Steve and Jared told me, this will be the largest prisoner of war exchange," Zelenskyy stated. Thus, according to him, both sides of the conflict and the mediating American side agreed that the exchange will take place, and its scale will be the largest in the entire history of the confrontation. Earlier, Witkoff reported that he planned to discuss the results of the talks with Putin with Zelenskyy and persuade him to choose the path of ending the war. ### Context: Negotiations in Abu Dhabi The announcement of the prisoner exchange came against the backdrop of recent trilateral negotiations in Abu Dhabi, which took place on November 10–11 with the participation of the US, Russia, and Ukraine, aimed at finding paths to peace. Following the talks, the sides reported that they managed to successfully discuss only the future security architecture of Europe. The Ukrainian side stated that Russia brought rigid directives to the negotiations in which "there is no room for bargaining," while representatives of each side continued to speak about "positive signals" and hopes for progress in the dialogue. On November 10, Zelenskyy noted that the issue of exchanging prisoners in a "1000 for 1000" or even "1500 for 1500" format was discussed with Moscow at the Abu Dhabi talks. ### Previous Exchanges and the European Vector The new announcement continues a series of prisoner-of-war exchanges carried out against the backdrop of the negotiation process. The previous exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on October 23: 270 Ukrainians returned home — 261 military personnel and nine civilians, including defenders of Mariupol, as well as five who were previously considered killed as a result of the Olenivka terrorist attack. Even earlier, on March 5, the parties carried out an exchange in a 200 for 200 format. According to media reports, representatives of European countries, in particular Germany, France, and Great Britain, were also supposed to join the Dublin meeting with Zelenskyy, indicating the desire to synchronize the negotiating positions of Kyiv, Washington, and key European capitals. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [Зеленский анонсировал крупнейший обмен пленными между Украиной и РФ](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-anonsuvav-naybilshiy-obmin-polonenimi-1794522979.html) - Primary source: Zelenskyy's quote on confirmation of the exchange by the US and Russia, the Dublin meeting with Witkoff and Kushner, the Abu Dhabi context, and the October 23 exchange. - [Зеленский встретился с Уиткоффом и Кушнером в Ирландии](https://www.vedomosti.ru/politics/news/2026/11/13/1245001-zelenskii-vstretilsya) - Confirms the meeting location (Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel), the date of Putin's Moscow meeting with Witkoff/Kushner on November 12, and Witkoff's announcement of the largest exchange. - [Состоялся обмен пленными: домой вернулись почти 300 защитников Украины](https://glavred.info/ukraine/sostoyalsya-obmen-plennymi-domoy-vernulis-pochti-300-zashchitnikov-ukrainy-10806521.html) - Details the October 23 exchange: 270 Ukrainians (261 military + 9 civilians), defenders of Mariupol, five from Olenivka. - [Россия и Украина провели обмен пленными в формате 200 на 200. 1471-й день полномасштабной войны](https://www.rfi.fr/ru/%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B0/20260305-1471-%D0%B9-%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C-%D0%BF%D0%BE%D0%BB%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%BC%D0%B0%D1%81%D1%88%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%B1%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B9-%D0%B2%D0%BE%D0%B9%D0%BD%D1%8B-%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%81%D1%81%D0%B8%D0%B8-%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%BE%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B2-%D1%83%D0%BA%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B8%D0%BD%D1%8B) - Confirms the earlier March 5 exchange in a 200 for 200 format as part of the series of exchanges. ## FAQ ### Where and when did Zelenskyy announce the prisoner exchange? During a meeting with American representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner in Dublin (at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel), after their return from negotiations in Moscow. ### What is the scale of the exchange? Zelenskyy called it "the largest prisoner of war exchange," referencing the words of Witkoff and Kushner. Earlier, he mentioned formats of "1000 for 1000" or "1500 for 1500" discussed during negotiations in Abu Dhabi. ### When was the previous exchange? On October 23, 270 Ukrainians returned home — 261 military personnel and nine civilians; even earlier, on March 5, there was an exchange in a 200 for 200 format.