Ukrainian servicemen had been freed by Russia in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara in September, on condition that they stay in Turkey until the end of the war. Moscow condemns “violation” of the deal.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski returned from a visit to Turkey on Saturday (08/07) taking with him five Ukrainian military leaders who had been on Turkish territory since a prisoner swap with Russia last year.
Celebrated as heroes in Ukraine, the commanders fought to defend the city of Mariupol during a long Russian siege that resulted in thousands of civilian deaths.
The Ukrainian defenders held out in tunnels and bunkers under the Azovstal steel plant until they were finally ordered by Kiev to surrender in May last year.
Russia released some of them in September in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara. Under the agreement with Moscow, the Ukrainians were to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.
On Saturday, however, Zelenski posted a video of himself greeting the soldiers on an airport tarmac before they all boarded a plane together to Ukraine.
“We are returning from Turkey and taking our heroes home,” said the Ukrainian president, who had met with Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.
“Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. They will finally be with their relatives,” Zelenski added.
The Ukrainian presidency confirmed that it had secured the return of the servicemen – among them commanders of the Azov Battalion, despised by Russia – after “negotiations with the Turkish side”.
Many Ukrainians welcomed the news on social media. “Finally! The best news of all. Congratulations to our brothers!” Major Maksym Zhorin, who fights in eastern Ukraine, said on Telegram.
Russia’s reaction
Russia, on the other hand, immediately denounced the release of the Ukrainian commanders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Turkey had violated the terms of the prisoner exchange agreement and had not informed Moscow about it.
“Nobody informed us about this. According to the agreements, they were supposed to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict,” Peskov told Russian news agency RIA.
According to the spokesman, the release of the Ukrainians was the result of strong pressure from Turkey’s allies in NATO ahead of the military alliance’s summit next week, at which Ukraine hopes to receive a positive signal about its future membership in the group.
“Preparations for the NATO summit are underway and of course there was a lot of pressure on Turkey,” Peskov said.