Global Courant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 8 said he has brought home from Turkey five commanders captured by Russia during the brutal battle in the city of Mariupol early in the war.
The Kremlin responded angrily to Zelensky’s move, saying they were not informed of the release of the commanders, claiming the move violated an agreement with Ankara for them to stay in Turkey until the end of the war.
In September 2022, Ukraine announced the release of 215 of its soldiers in exchange for dozens of Russian prisoners and a pro-Moscow politician.
As part of the agreement and in cooperation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Ukrainian president said the five commanders will stay in Turkey “in complete safety and in comfortable conditions” until the end of the war. Upon his return to Kiev with the men, Zelensky did not immediately explain why they were allowed to leave Turkey at this time.
“We are coming home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
“Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. Finally they will be with their relatives. Glory to Ukraine!” said Zelensky.
The city of Mariupol and its Azovstal steel plant were the scene of a long siege that ended in May 2022 and left Mariupol in ruins before 2,500 Ukrainian defenders finally surrendered.
After Zelensky’s announcement, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted by the RIA news agency as saying that the return of the commanders was “nothing more than a direct violation of the terms of existing agreements” by the Ukrainian and Turkish governments.
Peskov said that under the terms of the prisoner exchange, the commanders would remain in Turkey until the end of the conflict. He added that Moscow had not been told about their release.
Turkish leaders did not immediately comment. On July 7, Zelensky met with Erdogan, who told him that Ukraine deserved to join NATO, but also urged it to enter peace talks with Moscow.
“There is no doubt that Ukraine deserves NATO membership,” Erdogan said at a joint press conference in Istanbul. But he added that “both sides should return to peace talks”.
He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin next month will make his first visit to Turkey since the Kremlin began its invasion of Ukraine 500 days ago. He will discuss the exchange of prisoners with the Russian leader, he said./REL
Global Courantl
