Dmytro Lubinets, the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, spoke about the conditions of stay in Turkey of the released five commanders of the defenders of Mariupol. According to him, they have only one restriction — not to return to Ukraine until the end of the war.
He told about this on the air of the telethon.
"They are there in good conditions, under the personal, letʼs say, guarantee of the president of Turkey. All the conditions for a safe, normal life were created for them as far as possible. And the only condition that was applied to them as part of the exchange of prisoners of war is the restriction and ban on returning to Ukraine while the war in our country with the Russian Federation continues," Lubinets said.
He noted that it was this condition that made it possible to agree on their exchange and extradition to Turkey. He is not aware of any other restrictions on commanders.
Lubinets also expressed hope that soon they will talk to journalists. He added that the authorities are currently faced with the task of freeing all prisoners.
"We are constantly dealing with the issue of the release of both prisoners of war and civilian prisoners. The task before us is to liberate absolutely everyone. This process is not interrupted, it is permanent," the ombudsman emphasized.
- On the night of September 22, Ukraine exchanged prisoners with Russia. Ukraine returned 215 defenders of Mariupol, including the commanders of the "Azov" regiment, and Putinʼs godfather Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 Russian soldiers were returned to Russia.
- On the afternoon of September 21, it became known that the Russian authorities handed over to Saudi Arabia 10 captured foreigners who fought for Ukraine and were sentenced to death by the occupiers.
- Heads of the Ukrainian special services later said that the exchange was delayed for almost 8 hours, but in the end, it took place simultaneously in four countries — Ukraine (on the border with the Russian Federation in the Chernihiv region), Poland (one of the stages), Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The five commanders of the Mariupol defenders — Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, Svyatoslav "Kalyna" Palamar, Serhiy "Volyna" Volynskyi, Oleg Khomenko, and Denys Shlega — will remain in Turkey.