The relevant statement was made by the President of Ukraine volodymyr Zelenskyy on Facebook.
"As a result of the negotiations with the Turkish side, Ukraine brought back to their homeland the military – defenders of Azovstal: Commander of the Azov special operations unit of the National Guard, Hero of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko, his deputy Sviatoslav Palamar, acting Commander of the 36th Marine Brigade Serhii Volynskyi, Senior Officer of the Azov unit Oleh Khomenko, and Commander of the 12th Brigade of the National Guard Denys Shleha." - Zelenskyy wrote.
Read more: Azovstal Defenders Return Home From Captivity (Photo)
In September 2022, as part of the prisoner swap, a total of 215 Ukrainian defenders were released from Russian captivity, including the commanders of the Ukrainian defenders who fought for Azovstal steelworks. Since then, they had been staying in Türkiye under the personal guarantees of protection and safety of President of Türkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Read more: How Ukraine’s Helicopters Flew to Occupied Mariupol Azovstal (Video Plus Additional Information Provided)
