Ukraine's Zelensky brings back Mariupol commanders, Moscow denounces return

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky brought back five former commanders of Ukraine's garrison in Mariupol from Turkey on Saturday, which was seen as a highly symbolic achievement that Russia calleda violation of the prisoner exchange deal which was engineered last year.

The release was immediately denounced by Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, thataccording to the exchange agreement, Ankara had promised to keep the men in Turkey and charged the nation with not informing Moscow.

Zelensky had visited Snake Island, a Black Sea outcrop which was seized by Russian forces on the day of the invasion and later abandoned, to mark the 500th day of the war.

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Ukrainian commanders vow to return tobattlefield

The five commanders, who were returned to Ukraine, had led a fierce three-month defence of Mariupol from the Azovstal Steel last year, which was the biggest city captured by Russia.

"We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home,” Zelensky said, after meeting Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan in Istanbul on Friday.

Ukrainian commanders, meanwhile, vowed to go backto the battlefield afterthe prisoner swap. Commander of Azov regiment Denys Prokopenko said,“The most important thing for today is that the Ukrainian army has seized the strategic initiative on the front line and is moving forward every day.”

“We are paraplegics with sparkling eyes, with a strong soul and a weak will. Eagle wings are growing behind our backs but we were shackled to the Turkish soil. We will continue to do our job. We are military men. We took an oath,” Palamar added.

Thousands of civilians lost their lives in Mariupol when Russian forces seized the city in the initial months of the war. The Ukrainian defenders held out in bunkers and tunnels under the Azovstal plant, till the unit was finally given an order to surrender by Kyiv in May last year.

Exchange agreement violated

Some of them were freed by Moscow in September in a prisoner swap which was brokered by Ankara under the terms which required the commanders to remain in Turkey till the Russia-Ukraine war ended.

Speaking to Russia's RIA news agency, Peskov said, "No one informed us about this. According to the agreements, these ringleaders were to remain on the territory of Turkey until the end of the conflict."

Peskov stated that the release of men took place due to heavy pressure that Turkey was facing from NATO allies ahead of the summit of the military alliance next week at which Ukraine hopes to get a positive sign about its future membership.

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Zelensky, during a ceremony in the western city of Lviv, thanked Erdogan for helping secure their release and promised to bring home all remaining prisoners.

He said that before the war started, "many people in the world still did not understand what we are, what you are, what to expect from us and what our heroes are. Now everyone understands."

The return of the men was hailed by many Ukrainians. "Finally! The best news ever. Congratulations to our brothers!" said Major Maksym Zhorin, who is fighting in eastern Ukraine on the Telegram messaging app.

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