Zelensky returns to Ukraine with soldiers from Mariupol – DW – 07/08/2023

president of ukraine, Volodymyr ZelenskyHe left Turkey today (07.08.2023) to go home with five of the leaders who led the resistance to The siege of the Mariupol Azovstal Steel Plant by Russian forces.

“We will come home from Turkey and bring our heroes home,” Zelensky said in a tweet, which coincided with the 500th day since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

These five commanders of the Azov Regiment have been in Turkey since September 2022 under the protection of the Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who brokered their release in a prisoner exchange with Russia. Erdogan’s mediation allowed The release of 215 Ukrainian soldiers, almost all of whom were captured in Mariupol, in exchange for 55 Russians and Ukrainians with ties to the Kremlin, including Viktor Medvedchuk, a Ukrainian oligarch close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky’s remarks are accompanied by a video showing how he greets the five soldiers before they all board a Czech government plane, the one the Ukrainian leader has used for his travels in recent days.

Russia captured about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers in May 2022 at the Mariupol steel plant and still has about 1,900 soldiers. Although they surrendered, these soldiers’ weeks-long resistance against a far superior enemy made them a symbol of Ukraine.

Before leaving, Zelensky had time to take part in a religious ceremony with Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, in honor of the Ukrainians killed in the Russian aggression.

Thus, Zelensky concludes his tour, during which he visited Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Turkey since Thursday. In those countries, political and military support was secured to confront Russian aggression.

million (efe, afp)