Zelenskyy discloses how many Ukrainian prisoners Russia still holds
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
Russian forces are currently holding up to 7,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war, while Ukraine holds around 4,000 Russian prisoners of war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said after the Munich Security Conference.
Read also: Zelenskyy reveals why Russia is stalling prisoner exchange process
The President noted that the number of captured Russian soldiers has risen significantly in recent months. Previously, after earlier exchanges, Ukraine held only about 1,500 Russian prisoners of war.
"We are ready for an exchange. If they are ready for 'all for all'—great; if they are ready for a thousand for a thousand—not great, but good. But even if they are ready for 100 for 100, any step is a positive decision for us," he stressed.
On February 5, Ukraine and Russia carried out their first prisoner exchange in a long time, and 157 Ukrainians returned home. The exchange followed agreements reached during another round of trilateral talks involving Ukraine, the US, and Russia in Abu Dhabi.
Before that, a combined swap took place in October 2025, when 185 Ukrainian servicemembers and 20 civilians were freed from Russian captivity. Most of them had been held since 2022.
An earlier exchange between Ukraine and Russia occurred on August 24, Ukraine's Independence Day. According to Zelenskyy, most of those returned had also been in captivity since 2022, though the exact number exchanged at that time was not disclosed.
