The commanders of the Azovstal plant defenders, who have been in Turkey after being released from Russian captivity, are now returning to Ukraine.

President Volodymyr Zelensky announced this on Telegram.

He also published a video featuring the Ukrainian defenders meeting the head of state before boarding the plane to return to their homeland together.

“We are returning home from Türkiye and bringing our heroes home. Ukrainian soldiers Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, and Denys Shleha. They will finally be with their relatives. Glory to Ukraine!” Zelensky wrote on Telegram.

On September 22, 2022, it became known that Ukraine had returned 215 military personnel from Russian captivity, among whom were the commanders of the Azovstal plant defenders.

At the time, it was announced that as part of the agreements, Prokopenko, Volynsky, Palamar, Khomenko and Shleha would stay in Turkey until the end of the war.

Defense of Azovstal and capture of Ukrainian soldiers

Russian invasion forces began to attack Mariupol from the first days of the full-scale invasion.

To attack the city, the Russians used artillery and aviation. In early March 2022, Mariupol was surrounded. However, even under these conditions, Ukrainian defenders continued to defend the city.

The Ukrainian city was defended from the invaders by soldiers of the Azov Regiment, as well as marines, border guards, policemen and soldiers of other units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

With brutal street battles, the Russians gradually narrowed the encirclement. In mid-April, Ukrainian units controlled the Azovstal Metallurgical Combine, which was turned into a powerful defense line, trying to break through which the Russian soldiers suffered heavy losses.

The fighting at the Azovstal plant lasted for more than a month. The Russians constantly bombarded and shelled it. In mid-May, Ukrainian defenders were ordered to leave the territory of the metallurgical combine to save their lives.

The military and civilians who were in the Azovstal plant bomb shelters left the plant within several days. After that, the commanders and soldiers ended up in Russian captivity. Some of the defenders have already been returned home in the course of exchanges of POWs, while some of the fighters are still in captivity.