Denis Monastyrsky told the details of the return of the defenders of Azovstal
Today, during a press briefing in the Office of the President of Ukraine, Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Denis Monastyrsky told details of the exchange of Ukrainian combat commanders, defenders of Azovstal.
“The boys were very exhausted. We participated in the exchange in Ankara and the process dragged on for almost 24 hours. The procedure was very stressful. Negotiations continued every minute and there were clarifications. And indeed everything that happened was made possible thanks to the tectonic work of all involved. Foreigners who saw all this were very surprised by the scale of the exchange,” said Denis Monastyrsky.
As Kirill Budanov reported during the briefing, the living conditions of the commanders are good. He noted that this is not a prison, but a comfortable house. As for the return of the officers, he stressed that it would only take “some period of time.”
Answering journalists' questions, the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs also clarified that the military (we are talking about Azov commanders: Denis Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Denis Shlegu from the NGU) did not know where they were going. In fact, they did not understand where they were. The fighters were apparently in one place and were in solitary cells. They thought they were being taken to trials, which were constantly promised to them at interrogations by Russian investigators.
Other servicemen who arrived in Ukraine are now in medical institutions of Chernihiv region. Almost all of them need medical and psychological rehabilitation. Some have already seen their families, others will be able to meet them later. But now the main task of the state is to ensure their recovery.
According to the Ministry of Defense GUR, a total of 215 defenders of Ukraine were returned. Among them are 118 National Guardsmen, of which 108 fighters of the OZSP “Azov”. Nine employees of the National Police were also returned, and another nine soldiers of the State Border Guard Service. Among the dismissed officers 124, privates and sergeants 89.
As noted in the SBU, 802 citizens of Ukraine have been returned from the captivity of the Russian Federation since the beginning of the full-scale war.
Department of Communications of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine
