Azovstal commanders return from Turkey to Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported the information.

"We are returning home from Türkiye and bringing our heroes home," he said in a statement.

The President noted that Ukrainian soldiers, namely Azov Commander Denys Prokopenko (call sign Redis), Acting Commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade Serhiy Volynskyi (call sign Volyna), Deputy Azov Commander Svyatoslav Palamar (call sign Kalyna), Major of the National Guard of Ukraine Oleh Khomenko, and Colonel of the National Guard of Ukraine Denys Shleha, will finally be reunited with their families.

Information regarding the Azovstal commanders who have returned from captivity

On September 21, 2022, as a result of the exchange of prisoners of war, a total of 215 Ukrainian defenders were returned from Russian captivity, including Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynskyi, Oleh Khomenko, and Denys Shleha. The operation to free the prisoners included 3 elements: the exchange of Ukrainians for Viktor Medvedchuk, a close associate of Vladimir Putin, the release of 5 commanders with the support of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and the liberation of 10 foreign fighters who had fought for Ukraine.

On September 24, 2022,  Turkish president’s spokesman İbrahim Kalın said that Erdogan and Zelenskyy had agreed to exchange 15 Azovstal commanders, but only 5 were released.

Ukrainian fighter with a call sign Molfar, the deputy commander of the Azov regiment, stated that all the released Ukrainian soldiers had been subjected to torture in Russian captivity. The defenders were in a poor state both psychologically and physically, requiring assistance and support.

The wife of a captured Azov soldier, Lilia Stupina, said that about 700 Azov fighters remain in captivity. She expressed disappointment with the Red Cross, stating that the organization's only assistance provided to the families of the prisoners was advising them to pray.

In September, 2022,  Andriy Yermak, the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, held a meeting with the released Azovstal commanders who were in Turkey at the time. The commanders had undergone medical examinations, and their condition was being thoroughly assessed.