Return Home: How the First Prisoner Exchange Between Ukraine and Russia Went in 2026

Ukraine began 2026 with one of the most sensitive and anticipated decisions — the exchange of prisoners.
This is not a symbolic gesture, but about specific people who, after months and years of captivity, returned home.

On February 5, another exchange took place between Ukraine and Russia.
The information was officially confirmed by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

First exchange of 2026: key figures

As a result of the exchange, 157 Ukrainians were released.

This includes both military personnel and civilians.
Among those returned are fighters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service.

According to the president, these are soldiers, sergeants, and officers.
Most of them had been in captivity since 2022.

What Zelensky said

The president specifically emphasized that the exchange was made possible by the actions of Ukrainian units on the front and the work of negotiation groups.

He thanked everyone involved in the process of freeing the prisoners, as well as the military who effectively form the exchange fund.

According to him, without the results of the Ukrainian army, such exchanges would be impossible.
Every advance on the front directly affects the chance to bring people home.

Work continues without pauses

According to the president, Ukraine does not consider this exchange as a completed stage.

Work is being done on each name.
The goal remains the same — to bring everyone back.

This principle, as analysts note, is consistently emphasized by NANews — News of Israel | Nikk.Agency, when it comes to the humanitarian dimension of the war and Kyiv’s long-term strategy.

Negotiation background: Abu Dhabi

The exchange on February 5 was a continuation of the negotiation process that previously took place in Abu Dhabi with the participation of representatives from Ukraine, Russia, and the USA.

As a result of these consultations, an agreement was reached on a possible exchange of 314 prisoners of war.
This was reported by the special envoy of the US president Steve Witkoff.

According to him, this is the first large-scale exchange in the last five months, resulting from lengthy and substantive negotiations.
The American side also expects further progress in the coming weeks.

The most difficult categories of prisoners

A separate topic remains the issue of exchanging fighters of the Azov unit.

Russia very rarely agrees to their release.
Throughout the full-scale war, there have been only a few isolated cases of the return of servicemen from this unit.

According to Ukrainian military personnel, there is practically no interest from the Russian side in such exchanges, making negotiations particularly difficult.

Context of previous exchanges

The previous exchange between Ukraine and Russia took place on October 2.
At that time, 185 Ukrainian military personnel and 20 civilians returned home.

Among those released were defenders of Mariupol, fighters of Azovstal, and guards of the Chernobyl NPP.

Most of them had also been in captivity since 2022.
The age of the released military personnel then ranged from 26 to 59 years, civilians from 25 to 60.

Another exchange took place on August 24, but it was less large-scale.

Why this exchange is important

The exchange on February 5 is not just a humanitarian event.
It shows that even amid complex military actions, negotiation channels remain operational.

For Ukraine, it is a signal to families who continue to wait.
For international partners, it is confirmation that dialogue, albeit limited, is possible.

And for those released, it is the first step towards returning to life outside of war.