RT.com
23 Sep 2022, 03:47 GMT+10
Senior officers of the Azov Battalion were released as part of a prisoner exchange with Russia
Five commanders of the infamous neo-Nazi Azov regiment will stay in Turkey until the conflict between Moscow and Kiev ends, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky confirmed on Facebook on Thursday. All five were recently handed over by Russia as part of a major prisoner exchange with Ukraine.
"We agreed that the five released Azov commanders would stay in comfortable conditions in Turkey until the end of the war and would be able to see their families," Zelensky said in a post. Earlier, he also said that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had offered them protection.
On Thursday, Zelensky thanked the Turkish leader for his "leading role" in mediating the prisoner exchange.
All five Azov commanders were captured by the Russian forces and Donbass militias in the spring following the lengthy siege of the Azovstal steel plant in the Azov Sea port city of Mariupol.
Russia handed the five commanders over together with more than 200 Ukrainian soldiers, including more than 100 members of Ukraine's Azov Battalion, whose ranks include fighters with openly nationalist and neo-Nazi views.
The exchange also involved ten foreign nationals that were captured while fighting alongside the Ukrainian Army. British Prime Minister Liz Truss confirmed on Wednesday night that five captured UK nationals who had been fighting alongside Ukrainian troops had been released. Two of them had been convicted of war crimes by a court in the Donetsk People's Republic and sentenced to death. The foreigners have already arrived in Saudi Arabia, which also acted as a mediator during the exchange.
Kiev released 55 Russian and Donbass soldiers in exchange, according to the Russian Defense Ministry. The prisoner exchange was confirmed a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared a partial mobilization of reservists.
(RT.com)
Get a daily dose of Herald Globe news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Herald Globe.
More InformationROME, Italy: Quick thinking by emergency responders helped prevent greater devastation after a gas station explosion in southeastern...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump is drawing praise from his core supporters after halting key arms shipments to Ukraine, a...
MOSCOW, Russia: This week, Russia became the first country to officially recognize the Taliban as the government of Afghanistan since...
CAIRO, Egypt: This week, both Hamas and Israel shared their views ahead of expected peace talks about a new U.S.-backed ceasefire plan....
WASHINGTON, D.C.: The Trump administration has made public a visa decision that would usually be kept private. It did this to send...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
MADRID, Spain: Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his younger brother, André Silva, have died in a car accident in Spain. Spanish...
New Delhi [India], July 7 (ANI): In a commanding close to their first-ever Delhi Premier League (DPL) auction, Outer Delhi Warriors...
(Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images) There was good news on and off the field for the San Diego Padres on Sunday night. ...
(Photo credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images) Two pitchers who earned spots on the American League All-Star team will square off Monday...
(New Jersey) [US], July 7 (ANI): US President Donald Trump on Sunday (local time) described the floods in Texas as a '100-year catastrophe'...
Birmingham [UK], July 7 (ANI): Following some promising signs at Leeds despite a five-wicket loss, the massive ceiling and unreal potential...