The first prisoner exchange in 2026

Chernihiv Oblast, February 5, 2026. A video of the return of Ukrainian prisoners of war: relatives await their loved ones’ release from captivity, photos, and posters bearing the faces of the missing; Ivan Roman—the father of a man released from captivity—speaks about his son, weeps and prays, calls his family, and shares the joyful news; an ambulance arrives; a released prisoner talks to a woman about her missing relative; an interview with Oleksandr Trukhan, who was returned from captivity and is now waiting for his released comrade; dusk, a bus arrives with the released prisoners, relatives chant “Welcome!”, rejoice, hug, and talk.

Video from the second camera: family members and loved ones stand near the building, waiting for the arrival of the released prisoners; comments from family members: Diana—wife of a soldier missing in action, Iryna—wife of a missing person, Kateryna—wife of a prisoner of war, Elvira Kudusov—wife of a released prisoner of war; A bus arrives carrying Ukrainian Armed Forces servicemen and civilians released from Russian captivity; the released individuals get off the bus and walk through the crowd toward the hospital; interviews with Elvira Kudusova and Bohdan Okhrimenko—head of the secretariat of the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Background: On February 5, 2026, 150 Ukrainian military personnel and 7 civilians were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. Most of the Ukrainian soldiers had been held captive since 2022. More than half of the freed defenders were taken prisoner during the defense of Mariupol.

Returning home are servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including representatives of the Navy, Army, Troops of Special Operations, Airborne Forces, Air Force, as well as the National Guard of Ukraine and the State Border Guard Service. In addition to soldiers and sergeants, officers were also successfully freed. A National Guard servicemember, who was taken captive during the seizure of the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant, is also returning home. The freed servicemembers defended the country in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv regions.

The youngest released soldier is 23 years old. He was taken prisoner at the age of 19 during the defense of Mariupol. A Russian court illegally sentenced him to “life imprisonment.” The oldest released soldier is 63 years old.