Ukraine freed 157 of its citizens from Russian captivity on 5 February in the first prisoner exchange in four months, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported on Telegram. The swap broke a months-long deadlock that Zelenskyy had blamed on deliberate Russian obstruction. Among the freed are Mariupol defenders, illegally sentenced prisoners, and a National Guard member captured at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant early in the all-out war years ago.
On 4 and 5 February, the US held another round of Ukraine-Russia talks in Abu Dhabi. Prisoner exchanges remain the only tangible result of all such negotiations organized by the Trump administration, with no actual progress towards peace as Russia constantly reiterates maximalist war goals amounting to Ukraine's capitulation.
150 soldiers and 7 civilians return home
According to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, Ukraine brought back 150 military servicemembers and seven civilians. Some of the freed soldiers have combat injuries. The swap returned not just enlisted personnel but also officers. Servicemembers from the Armed Forces of Ukraine came home, including from the Navy, Ground Forces, Territorial Defense, Airborne Assault Forces, and Air Force. The exchange also freed members of the National Guard and the State Border Guard Service.
The released defenders had fought on the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv fronts.
More than half are Mariupol defenders
Over half of the freed servicemembers fell into Russian hands during the defense of Mariupol. One National Guard member was captured when Russian forces seized the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in the early days of the full-scale invasion. Out of 157 Ukrainians freed on 5 February, 139 had spent time in Russian captivity since 2022.
The youngest freed defender is 23 years old. Russian forces captured him at age 19 during the battle for Mariupol. A Russian court then illegally sentenced him to life in prison. The oldest released servicemember is 63.
The HQ noted that a distinctive feature of this exchange is the return of Ukrainians whom Russian courts had illegally sentenced.
Why the exchanges stalled for four months
Prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia had effectively stopped for four months before 5 February. According to Zelenskyy, Russia deliberately blocked the process. On 4 February, the day before the exchange, Zelenskyy said a POW swap could happen soon.
Back in January, Zelenskyy said Moscow was intentionally stalling POW agreements to pressure Kyiv. The previous combined exchange took place in October 2025. That swap returned 185 military servicemembers and 20 civilians. Most of those freed at the time had also been held since 2022.
