Five commanders of the Azovstal unit have been in Turkey since their release from Russian captivity. You are not allowed to leave the country.
Five Ukrainian commanders who defended the Azov valley plant and civilians housed there in Mariupol and were released in a prisoner exchange will not be home at Christmas either. They are still in Turkey, which brokered exchanges between Ukraine and Russia in September. Serhii Volynskyi, Svyatoslav Palamar, Denys Prokopenko, Oleg Khomenko and Denys Shlega are under the care of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan but are not allowed to leave the country. Part of the deal when they were released was that they would not be able to return to Ukraine until the end of the war.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, has now reported to Radio Svoboda about the condition of the “Heroes of Azovstal”, as they are called in the media and by many Ukrainians. According to them, they are doing well and waiting for their families to visit them on the holidays. The soldiers received medicine and sufficient food as well as sports equipment from the Turkish authorities. “Conditions have improved,” said Bodnar on Friday.
On September 22, there was a significant exchange of prisoners of war: Russia released 215 Ukrainian soldiers from captivity, 108 of whom were fighters of the “Azov unit”. In return, Moscow received 55 captured soldiers. But there was a special arrangement for the five commanders. After the release, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out in his video speech that he had reached an agreement with Erdoğan. Accordingly, they would be under the personal protection of the President until the end of the war.
Communication with the outside world restricted
However, freedom of movement is still restricted, as is communication with the outside world. Security concerns are given as the reason – apparently there were threats, reports Radio Svoboda. Another reason, according to Bodnar, are further planned releases and prisoner exchanges, which one does not want to endanger. However, he hopes that the five former commanders will soon be able to appear in public. This way you can get an idea of how they have changed since they were captured. Photos were released in October showing the soldiers with their families and Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Selenska after they were awarded a high medal and received family visits.