New prisoner exchange: 157 military and civilians returned to Ukraine

A new exchange of prisoners of war between Ukraine and Russia took place, reported president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

157 Ukrainians have returned home. These are soldiers, sergeants and officers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard, the State Border Guard Service, as well as civilians.

139 of the released Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since 2022, reported head of the presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov.

"Among those who are returning home are 19 illegally convicted defenders, 15 of them to life imprisonment. There are also defenders of Mariupol," the official noted.

Amid the liberated defenders are seriously wounded and injured, they were brought to Ukraine in ambulances, said National Security and Defense Council secretary and head of the Ukrainian delegation Rustem Umerov.

Coordination headquarters wrote that more than half of the released soldiers were captured during the defense of Mariupol, and that a National Guard member captured during the occupation of Chernobyl nuclear power plant returned home.

"The youngest released defender is 23 years old. He was captured at the age of 19 during the defense of Mariupol. The Russian court illegally sentenced him to "life imprisonment". The age of the oldest defender released today is 63 years old," the agency adds.

Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine would continue to work on the release of prisoners.

The agreement on the new exchange was reached during negotiations Ukraine, Russia and the United States in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Special Envoy of the US president Steve Witkoff noted: "While more work remains to be done, these steps demonstrate that sustained diplomatic engagement is producing tangible results and advancing efforts to end the war in Ukraine."

After the exchange, Budanov specifically thanked his partners from the United States and the Emirates "for their important mediation and assistance.

The previous exchange was more than four months ago – on October 2, 2025. Back then, 205 Ukrainian military and civilians returned from Russian captivity.

• President Zelenskyy explained that Russia had suspended the prisoner exchange process because it did not feel benefits for yourself.
• On January 29, Ukraine and Russia took place exchange of bodies of the dead. Previous one passed on December 19.