According to the Reuters news agency, the commanders from Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant were freed in September “in a prisoner swap brokered by Ankara, under terms that required the commanders to remain in Turkey until the end of the war.”
Reuters also quoted Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov as saying that the deal has been violated, and that Moscow “has not been informed,” that the commanders were transported to Ukraine.
According to Reuters Peskov said the release was “a result of heavy pressure from Turkey's NATO allies ahead of next week's summit of the military alliance” in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The news of bringing the commanders home came as President Zelensky on Saturday, marked the 500th day since the onset of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
Zelensky visited Snake Island in the Black Sea to commemorate soldiers who sacrificed their lives during the battle for the island.
"500 days of full-scale war. Snake Island. Free island of free Ukraine," Zelensky tweeted on Saturday.
"I am grateful to all those who fought here against the occupiers. We honored the memory of the heroes who gave their lives in this battle - one of the most important during a full-scale war," he added.
Snake Island is a small island located in the northwestern part of the Black Sea, about 35 kilometers east of the Danube delta, near Ukraine's border with Romania.
Russian troops occupied the area during the initial phase of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to reports, they subsequently deployed advanced anti-aircraft missile systems, electronic warfare stations and other weapons and equipment there to provide cover for a possible landing or a massive shelling of Odessa.
However, Ukrainian troops successfully recaptured the island in June 2022.
(tf)
Source: reuters