'Have been waiting three years for my son. Now he's home': Report on POW exchange
Photo: Ukraine and Russia exchanged prisoners of war for the first time since the beginning of 2026 (t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official)
Ukraine has returned another group of defenders as part of the long-awaited prisoner exchange that took place on February 5. Another 157 Ukrainians have come home.
RBC-Ukraine publishes a report from the scene.
Read also: Prisoner exchange, new Russian ultimatum: Outcomes of Abu Dhabi talks
How families welcome those freed from captivity
A father shared how he waited three years for the return of his son Ivan, a soldier of the 72nd Brigade who was captured near Vuhledar.
Throughout this time, the father attended every prisoner exchange and never lost hope. And finally, the wait is over — his son has returned home.
"Vania is home! We’ll be hugging him any moment now," he shouted to his interlocutor over the phone.
Marine of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, Roman Olehovych, said he met his fellow soldiers at the border during the exchange.
"Today is the most important day for our marine families. We managed to exchange our comrades, whom we haven’t seen for almost four years. We were so happy to hug them all and meet them there at the border during the exchange. The guys are in high spirits. They can’t believe they’re back here. They are very eager to see their families and loved ones," the serviceman said.
Prisoner exchanges are also attended by those whose relatives have gone missing and whose fate remains unknown.
In particular, RBC-Ukraine learned the story of soldiers Ivan and Dmytro, who have been awaited at home for a year and two months. They went missing in the settlement of Makiivka on November 20, 2024.
At present, the families do not know whether the men have the status of prisoners of war or were killed. But their relatives continue to wait and believe in their return until the very end.
Prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia
There had been no prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia in recent months. At the beginning of the year, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that Russia was deliberately delaying agreements, blocking the return of Ukrainian military personnel and civilians.
After the Ukrainian delegation’s talks on the first day of the second round of trilateral consultations with the US and Russia in Abu Dhabi on February 4, Zelenskyy said that an exchange could take place soon.
Today, it became known that the sides agreed to an exchange on a 157-for-157 basis.
Ukraine brought home 150 military personnel (including severely wounded soldiers) and 7 civilian Ukrainians.
Those returning include members of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, as well as fighters from the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, the Navy, the Ground Forces, the Territorial Defense, the Air Assault Forces, and the Air Force. Among them are soldiers, sergeants, and officers.
They fought in the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Sumy, and Kyiv directions. Most were captured during the defense of Mariupol.
Also returning was a National Guard serviceman who had been captured during the occupation of the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant. 139 of the freed were held in captivity since 2022.
A notable aspect of this exchange is that it included illegally convicted Ukrainians.
The previous exchange took place in October 2025, when 185 military personnel and 20 civilians were returned from Russian captivity, most of whom had been held since 2022.
Among those freed were officers and enlisted personnel who had fought on various fronts, including the Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Kyiv, Sumy, and Chernihiv directions.
The list also included defenders of Mariupol and National Guard members captured while guarding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
Ukraine, US, and Russia negotiations
Regarding peace talks, the first round of trilateral consultations took place on January 23–24, 2026. As a result, the parties agreed to a pause in attacks on the energy sector, a so-called energy truce. However, Russia broke it. Taking advantage of the severe cold, the aggressor carried out ballistic strikes on thermal power plants, leaving parts of Kharkiv and Kyiv without heating.
Zelenskyy stated that, in essence, Russia agreed to the pause only to stockpile more missiles and drones and launch an attack in -25°C conditions.
The second round of negotiations took place on February 4–5. Head of the Office of the President, Kyrylo Budanov, described the talks as "constructive." The parties managed to agree on a prisoner exchange after a long pause, which, again, was caused by the aggressor’s stance.
According to the President of Ukraine, Kyiv, Washington, and Moscow have agreed on a new meeting, which will take place soon.
