POW exchange: 34 Azov fighters released in latest effort

Colonel Denys Prokopenko, Commander of the Azov 12th Special Operations Brigade Colonel Denys Prokopenko, broke the news on Facebook, reports Ukrinform.

"Another 34 servicemen from the Azov have returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity. These soldiers defended Mariupol for 86 days before being ordered to withdraw from the Azovstal steelworks and spending two and a half years in Russian captivity. Thanks to these soldiers from the Mariupol garrison, Ukraine withstood the first blow in the spring of 2022," he wrote.

According to Prokopenko, the brigade had been eagerly waiting for each of these fighters to return, doing everything possible to replenish the POW exchange fund with more captured Russians.

The Azov commander expressed his gratitude to the President, as well as the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Security Service, defense intelligence, and the Association of Azov Defenders’ Families for the thorough work on ensuring that the POWs return home. He noted that the swap efforts involving Azov fighters are "gradually becoming systematic, and that this is the result of joint efforts and perseverance of all those involved in the process at all levels."

"Nearly 900 Azov fighters remain in Russian prisons." Our common task is to get everyone back," Prokopenko stressed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, as a result of the 58th prisoner POW exchange effort, 95 defenders were returned to Ukraine, 28 of whom Russia had sentenced to long terms, and 20 – to life in prison for defending their own land from the aggressor.

Photo: Dmytro Lubinets, Telegram