Today, 15 May, as part of the first stage of the “1,000 for 1,000” exchange, 20 fighters of the 1st Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine’s Azov returned to their homeland; 19 of them are defenders of Mariupol. This was reported by Azov commander Denys “Redis” Prokopenko.
“Four years in Russian captivity, and now, at last, a reunion with loved ones who fought for the return of their own and waited for this day. Welcome home, to Ukraine, brothers-in-arms,” Prokopenko wrote.
He thanked the fighters for their resilience, courage and strength, which they demonstrated every day in extremely difficult circumstances, under round-the-clock pressure from Russia’s inhumane system, which failed to break them.
- In April, as part of the Easter exchange, 12 Azov fighters were brought back to Ukraine. The Azov commander noted that the prisoners endured inhumane pressure and horrific torture.