The case summarized • Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj traveled home from Turkey with five former Ukrainian prisoners of war.• The five soldiers defended the Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol.• In September 2022, several Ukrainian prisoners were released as part of a prisoner exchange program between the two countries. • Russia has reacted after Zelenskyi announced the officers’ return to Ukraine. • Russia believes the return is a breach of the agreement on prisoner exchange between the two countries, and that according to the agreement the soldiers could only return to Ukraine after the war is over. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi returned home from a visit to Turkey today. He had five former Ukrainian prisoners of war with him on the plane. – We are on our way home from Turkey, and are taking our heroes home with us, Zelenskyj wrote on Telegram. He continued: – The Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Denys Shleha. They will finally be together with their relatives. A video on Twitter shows the president welcoming the soldiers. The five have been given hero status in their home country. They are among the officers who defended the Azovstal steelworks in the port city of Mariupol for several weeks. The officers were captured when Ukraine ordered the soldiers to give up the defense of Mariupol in May 2022. They were exchanged with help from Turkey in September 2022, and are said to have stayed in Turkey under a personal guarantee from President Erdogan. Serhiy Volynsky embraces the Ukrainian president. Photo: HANDOUT / AFP The Ukrainian presidential office writes that they have been in negotiations with the Turkish side to bring the five back to Ukraine. The soldiers landed together with President Zelenskyj in Lviv, Ukraine. There it was met by a large crowd. Zelenskyj and the soldiers in Lviv. Photo: TELEGRAM/PRYAMAMOVA – They were in Russian captivity, then they were in Turkey for more than 300 days. It is time for them to come home, Zelenskyy told the state news agency Ukrinform. Strong reactions from Russia Russia has reacted after Zelenskyi announced the officers’ return to Ukraine. The Kremlin criticizes both Ukraine and Turkey for violating the agreement: – The return of the leaders of the Azov terrorists from Turkey to Ukraine is a violation from both the Turkish side and Kyiv, Dmitry Peskov, press spokesperson for President Putin, told the Russian news agency Ria. Dmitry Peskov is the spokesperson for President Putin. Photo: NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA / AFP He claims: – According to the agreement, the soldiers were supposed to be in Turkey until the conflict is over. – No one informed Russia about the transfer of the leaders of the terrorist group Azov from Turkey to Ukraine, says Peskov. Peskov also told RIA that he sees the release as a consequence of pressure from NATO ahead of the upcoming NATO summit in Lithuania on 11 and 12 July. 270 prisoners of war exchanged In September 2022, several Ukrainian prisoners were released as part of a prisoner exchange program between the two countries. Ukraine and Russia, with help from Turkey, exchanged a total of 270 prisoners of war, including ten foreign prisoners of war, according to Ukrainian authorities. Russia also received 55 prisoners of war, among them the former pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk. The released prisoners of war will remain in Turkey, where they are safe, until the war is over, Zelenskyy said at the time. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj (right) shakes hands with Denys Prokopenko (left). Photo: HANDOUT / AFP Putin visits Turkey next month The Russian president will visit Turkey next month. They told Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan yesterday. Erdogan announced, among other things, that prisoner exchange will be a topic between the two parties. Turkey has also been central in negotiating the grain agreement between the two countries. The agreement makes it possible for Ukraine to export grain. This will also be a topic when the two heads of state meet each other. On Thursday this week, it also became clear that Russia and Ukraine entered into a new prisoner exchange agreement. The agreement must have covered 45 people from each side. The Russian defense minister told RIA that 45 Russians had been freed from Ukrainian captivity. Advisor to Volodymyr Zelenskyj, Andriy Yermak, said that 45 soldiers and two civilians had returned home to Ukraine.
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Russia reacts after Ukraine brings prisoners of war home from Turkey – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
