As part of the first stage of the "1000 for 1000" exchange, 20 fighters of the National Guard's "Azov" corps returned home, 19 of whom are defenders of Mariupol, the commander of the "Azov" corps, Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, reported on social media on Friday, UNN reports.
The first stage of the "1000 for 1000" exchange has begun. Today, 20 fighters of the 1st NSU "Azov" Corps returned to their native land, 19 of them defenders of Mariupol. Four years in Russian captivity, and finally, a meeting with loved ones who fought for their return and waited for this day. I welcome my brothers-in-arms home, to Ukraine
He expressed gratitude "for the resilience, courage, and strength you displayed every day under extremely difficult circumstances, under the round-the-clock pressure of the inhuman Russian system, which failed to defeat you."
"I thank the President of Ukraine for his attention to the issue of prisoner exchanges, the fighters from various units who replenish our exchange fund, as well as representatives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the SBU, the GUR, the 'Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders,' and all the countries that facilitate the negotiation process," Prokopenko emphasized.