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Ukraine Frees 150 Soldiers and 7 Civilians From Russian Captivity in First Exchange of 2026

Feb 05, 2026 16:03 Updated Feb 05, 2026 17:06

3 min read

Authors: Dariia Mykhailenko
News Writer

A heartfelt embrace between two recently freed individuals, as one is wrapped in the Ukrainian flag. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

On February 5, the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War conducted the first prisoner exchange of 2026. Under the instructions of the President of Ukraine, 150 military personnel and 7 civilians were freed from Russian captivity.

Among the released were Ukrainian Armed Forces soldiers, including representatives from the Navy, Ground Forces, Territorial Defense, Airborne Forces, Air Force, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service.

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In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also freed. These defenders served in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv regions. The majority of those freed were captured during the defense of Mariupol. Also returning home is a National Guard serviceman, captured during the occupation of Chernobyl.

A Ukrainian man, overwhelmed with emotion, receives a blue and yellow flag. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

A freed Ukrainian soldier, wrapped in the Ukrainian flag. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

Out of the 139 freed Ukrainian citizens, most had been in Russian captivity since 2022. A notable feature of this exchange is the return of Ukrainians who had been illegally sentenced.

A freed Ukrainian prisoner wrapped in the national flag. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

A Ukrainian prisoner, recently freed, embraces a member of the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Affairs. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

The youngest of the freed defenders is 23 years old. He was captured at the age of 19 during the defense of Mariupol, and a Russian court illegally sentenced him to life imprisonment. The oldest defender freed today is 63 years old.

At the same time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy descibed today's prisoner exchange, which came after a long pause, as “crucial.”

A recently freed Ukrainian prisoner, wrapped in a blue and yellow flag, checks his phone. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

A freed Ukrainian prisoner returns home. (Photo: Official channel of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy)

“I would like to thank everyone working towards facilitating these exchanges and those on the frontlines who contribute to the prisoner exchange fund for Ukraine. Without the determination of our soldiers, such exchanges would be impossible. Every achievement of our units is what makes it possible to bring Ukrainians back home from Russia,” Zelenskyy added.

Earlier, in December 2025, Belarus returned 114 civilians to Ukraine, including Ukrainian nationals, as a result of successful negotiations and prior agreements between the two countries.

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