Russia continues to hold captive Ukrainian soldiers who left Azovstal in May. A significant part of the prisoners are fighters from the regiment of the defenders of Mariupol.
Natalia Kravtsova, the mother of a prisoner of war and co-founder of the Council of Wives and Mothers of the Defenders of Ukraine “WOMEN from STEEL”, said that more than 700 servicemen from regiment of defenders of Mariupol. Kravtsova made the corresponding statement during the briefing.
The defenders of Mariupol have been in captivity for 8 months
She emphasized the positive point that the defenders of Azovstal are being exchanged for at least a few people. But, according to her, among them there are no fighters from the regiment of the defenders of Mariupol, “to whom the Russians have a special relationship.”
Natalya Kravtsova said that a delusion had formed in society that the history of Azovstal was over and all the fighters from the Mariupol Defenders Regiment were returned or are being returned.
The mother of the prisoner of war stressed that such an opinion is not true. “Now more than 700 fighters from the regiment of defenders of Mariupol have been held captive by Russia for 8 months,” Natalia said.
What is known about the exchange of prisoners
- There are quite a few Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity, who held back the occupiers in different directions. In particular, in mid-May, more than 2,000 Ukrainian defenders and defenders who fought in Mariupol left Azovstal.
- On December 1, President Volodymyr Zelensky informed that more than 1,300 Ukrainians had already returned from Russian captivity since February 24. On December 2, the Ministry of Defense reported that 1,331 people had returned from captivity.
- The previous exchange of prisoners between Ukraine and Russia took place on December 14. Another 64 Ukrainian servicemen returned home. The fighters fought in the Donetsk and Luhansk directions.
- On September 21, one of the largest exchanges took place, when 215 defenders and defenders of Ukraine were returned. Then 108 fighters from the Mariupol Defenders Regiment were returned from captivity.
- Commanders Sergei Volynsky, Svyatoslav Palamar, Denis Prokopenko, Oleg Khomenko and Denis Shleg were also returned from captivity. The teams must remain in Turkey until the end of the war.
