Ukraine, Russia agree to exchange 314 prisoners, Witkoff says
Photo: Steve Witkoff (Getty Images)
Today, February 5, delegations from Ukraine, the US, and Russia agreed to exchange 314 prisoners, the first such exchange in recent months, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Read also: Zelenskyy announces first prisoner swap with Russia in four months
“This outcome was achieved from peace talks that have been detailed and productive. While significant work remains, steps like this demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is delivering tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine,” he said.
Witkoff also noted that discussions will continue and announced “additional progress” in the coming weeks.
Pause in prisoner exchanges
The last exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia took place in October 2025. At that time, 185 soldiers and 20 civilians returned home.
A distinctive feature of this stage was that most of those released — soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, and the State Border Guard Service — had been held captive in Russia since 2022. Among them were defenders of Mariupol, Azovstal, and the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant.
According to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, some of the people were returned in accordance with the Istanbul agreements.
In January 2026, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there were no new prisoner exchanges with Russia because Moscow was slowing down the process.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, more than 10,000 Russian soldiers have been captured. Among them, the number of foreign mercenaries is growing.
On average, between 60 and 90 Russians surrender to Ukrainian defenders every week. Over the past year, more soldiers from the aggressor country have been captured than in 2022 and 2023 combined.
