Since the withdrawal of the "Azovstal" garrison, it has been possible to return 1,279 soldiers out of approximately 2,500. Among them are 455 soldiers of the "Azov" regiment, said Andriy Yusov, representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, writes UNN.
In terms of numbers, about 2,500 defenders were withdrawn or evacuated from "Azovstal". As of today, 1279 of them have already been returned from captivity. That is, more than half of the "Azovstal" garrison has been released from Russian captivity. Among them, 455 "Azov" soldiers were released
The representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate also emphasized that this is good statistics compared to many other units.
"Regarding statistics, compared to other units, this is a good figure, although I understand that statistics do not replace relatives for specific families. But this is an indicator of the work that is ongoing at this time," Yusov explained.
Yusov also drew attention to the fact that during the last exchange in the "1000 for 1000" format, representatives of 46 units were returned home, from which no one had been pulled out of captivity before.
"The fact that during this exchange it was possible to return representatives of 46 units from Russian captivity, from which no one had previously been exchanged, is a colossal result. It is not only saved lives and statistics, it is incredibly important information about the places of stay, conditions of detention and personal stories of prisoners who are still being held," the representative of the Main Intelligence Directorate emphasized.
Supplement
The commander of the "Azov" corps of the National Guard of Ukraine, Denys Prokopenko, stated that in the last exchange of prisoners according to the formula "1000 for 1000" there was not a single soldier of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine "Azov".
He emphasized that the reason for this is not Russia's unwillingness to give away Azov fighters, but the need to revise the exchange tactics, offering the aggressor new, more important "lots".