Stefanchuk meets with Azovstal defenders in Turkey

On behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk met in Turkey with the defenders of Azovstal steel works.

"On behalf of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, I met in Turkey with the Heroes, with the military, defenders of Azovstal steel works. Commander of Azov Regiment, Hero of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko ("Redis"), his deputy Sviatoslav Palamar ("Kalyna"), Acting Commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade Serhiy Volynskyi ("Volyna"), Oleh Khomenko and Denys Shleha from the National Guard of Ukraine who are now in Turkey under the exchange terms. I thank Turkey for the assistance in returning our defenders," Stefanchuk posted on Facebook.

According to him, a large team led by Head of the President’s Office Andriy Yermak works daily to return all Ukrainian prisoners of war home.

"All our defenders are determined to continue the fight and want to return home. Full support for all our heroes is the duty of the state. We have to return everyone. Because we value everyone," the Verkhovna Rada Chairman emphasized.

As reported, 215 Ukrainian defenders were released, including the Azovstal Regiment commanders, within the framework of the prisoner exchange in September 2022. Since then, five Azov Regiment members have stayed in Turkey under the personal guarantees of protection and security of President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.