Ukraine hails return of 45 Azov fighters; Russia says 3 of its pilots have been released
- The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office
- The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological help
The freed Ukrainian prisoners included 42 men and three women from the Azov battalion, said Andriy Yermak, the head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office.
“Excellent news on this sunny day. We are returning home 45 of our people. Thirty-five privates and sergeants, 10 officers,” Yermak said on the Telegram app in a post that did not mention the release of Russian prisoners.
The Russian Defence Ministry said in a statement that three pilots had been returned and were being provided with medical and psychological help.
“As a result of a difficult negotiation process, three Russian pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who had been in mortal danger while in captivity, were returned from Kyiv-controlled territory,” said the statement, which did not mention the 45 Ukrainian prisoners. There were no reports on Russian state media of additional Russian prisoner releases.
Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, which coordinates prisoner exchanges with Russia, did not immediately respond to a request for more details.