157 Ukrainian POWs and civilians returned home in the first exchange in months

Ukraine has brought home 157 Ukrainians from Russian captivity in a major prisoner exchange with Moscow, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced earlier today, following an agreement reached during peace talks in Abu Dhabi. Russia released 150 Ukrainian soldiers and seven civilians, while Ukraine freed 157 Russian servicemen in return, marking the first large-scale exchange in nearly five months.

Zelensky said the breakthrough came after a long pause in negotiations, stressing that battlefield resilience made the exchange possible. Among those freed are defenders of Mariupol and a National Guard serviceman captured at the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, with most detainees having been held since 2022. The youngest released prisoner is 23 years old, while the oldest is 63, according to Ukraine’s Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War.

Ukraine’s Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said 18 of the returning soldiers had been illegally imprisoned in Russia. The swap followed recent trilateral talks between Ukrainian, Russian, and U.S. officials, with the United Arab Emirates playing a key mediating role, offering a rare humanitarian breakthrough amid ongoing hostilities.

The number of Russian assaults at the frontline has decreased after Starlink access was blocked for Russians

Russian forces have reduced the intensity of their assault operations along the front line following an agreement between Ukraine and SpaceX to block unregistered Starlink satellite internet terminals, Radio Liberty reported today, citing sources in the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

According to the sources, the number of Russian attacks has declined in some areas and stopped entirely in others. As of 16:00 local time on Feb. 5, Ukrainian forces had recorded 56 combat clashes across the front line since the start of the day, indicating a noticeable decrease in activity.

Military radio technology expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said today that Russian forces experienced a mass outage of Starlink, leaving them unable to restore connectivity. Russian troops reportedly complained that the disruption is severely affecting coordination along the entire front line.

About 100,000 families in Kharkiv remain without heating after the Russian attack

About 100,000 families in Kharkiv have been left without centralised heating following Russian attacks on the city’s energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s Energy Minister Denys Shmyhal said.

Shmyhal said he inspected repair efforts at damaged facilities, noting that power engineers are working around the clock to restore electricity and heating despite extensive destruction. He thanked emergency crews for their work, calling the situation extremely difficult.

According to the minister, protective measures helped preserve key equipment at one of the damaged sites. He said urgent needs were discussed with local energy workers and ordered that critical equipment be urgently transferred from the Energy Ministry’s hub to accelerate repairs.

An agreement to exchange 314 POWs between Ukraine and Russia was reached during the talks in Abu Dhabi

Donald Trump`s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff said that an agreement had been reached during trilateral talks between Ukraine, Russia, and the United States to exchange 314 prisoners of war, marking the first such swap in five months.

Witkoff said the deal was the result of detailed and productive peace negotiations, adding that sustained diplomatic engagement is beginning to deliver tangible results. He stressed that while significant work remains, steps like this help advance efforts to end the war in Ukraine.

According to Witkoff, discussions will continue in the coming weeks, with further progress expected as negotiations move forward.