Number of Azovstal defenders released from Russian captivity: Intelligence data
Photo: GUR representative Andrii Yusov (Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukraine has managed to free from Russian captivity more than half of the Azovstal garrison — 1,279 defenders, states Andrii Yusov, a representative of the Defense Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, during an interview on Radio Svoboda.
"In total, about 2,500 defenders from various units were withdrawn or evacuated from Azovstal. Of them, as of today, 1,279 have already been returned from captivity. That means more than half of the Azovstal garrison has been freed from Russian captivity," Yusov said.
Among them, according to the intelligence representative, 455 Azov fighters were released as part of the prisoner exchange coordinated by the Coordination Headquarters for Prisoner Affairs.
"And these, if we talk about statistics compared to other units, are good numbers, although I understand that statistics do not replace the presence of their relatives for specific families," he noted.
Yusov added that during the latest exchange, Ukraine managed to free prisoners from units and subdivisions that had not previously appeared on the lists.
"During this exchange, representatives from 46 units were returned from Russian captivity, from which, for the first time since the full-scale invasion, it was possible to return servicemen from captivity. This is a tremendous result because it is not just saved lives and statistics, it is incredibly important information about conditions of detention, numbers, places of holding, and personal stories of others," the intelligence representative said.
At the same time, Yusov declined to comment on the dissatisfaction of the Azov command regarding the absence of some regiment fighters on the exchange lists, calling such statements "emotional."
"Our prisoners are in Putin’s hands, not here on Ukrainian territory. And the Russian special services, which deal with the topic of exchanges, use prisoner issues at their discretion for the purpose of the war against Ukraine. And the more media attention on certain individuals or units, you can be sure that this is taken for special handling with further use to worsen the situation in Ukraine and generally complicate the return of other prisoners as well," he added.
1000 for 1000 prisoner exchange
On May 16, during negotiations in Türkiye between Ukraine and Russia, an agreement was reached on a large-scale prisoner exchange in the format of 1000 for 1000.
Due to the large number of prisoners, the procedure was carried out in stages over three days.
The first stage of the exchange took place on Friday, May 23. It involved the release of 390 people: among them, 270 military personnel and 120 civilians. On the first day, servicemen from the Naval Forces, Air Assault Forces, National Guard, Territorial Defense Forces, and border guards were freed.
On the second day, May 24, Ukraine received back 307 defenders, including 27 fighters from Mariupol, as well as soldiers from several other military units who were released for the first time.
On May 25, another 303 Ukrainians returned from captivity, including 70 defenders of Mariupol.
