Russia and Ukraine are preparing another major prisoner of war exchange, Russian state media reported Wednesday, less than a week after the two sides swapped 103 captured service members each.
Russian state news agency TASS cited Russian Human Rights Commissioner Yana Lantratova as saying that lists for what she described as a “quite big” exchange were being finalized.
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Ukraine has not independently confirmed the planned swap.
The announcement came a day after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unannounced visit to Moscow for undisclosed talks with Russian officials. There is no confirmed link between Ratcliffe’s trip and the prospective prisoner exchange.
The CIA has previously played a role in negotiating detainee releases between Washington and Moscow, including a 2024 deal that secured the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Alsu Kurmasheva and former US Marine Paul Whelan.
Prisoner exchanges remain one of the few areas where Russia and Ukraine have maintained sustained communication despite Russia’s war against Ukraine.