HOW THE HEROES WERE EXCHANGED

The release operation started back in April

photo: Security Service of Ukraine

UA SOUTH got to know some details of the exchange of 205 Ukrainian defenders and 10 foreigners from Azovstal for Viktor Medvedchuk and 55 Russians. We managed to speak with our sources in Ankara, close to the Turkish authorities.

Journalist Fevzi Çakır from HaberTürk, who received exclusive news about the exchange and spread it around the world, told UA.SOUTH: the release operation began back in April. That means that it happened when the soldiers of Azovstal had not yet received the order to surrender.

The initiator was Vladimir Putin, who preferred to get his best man back (Victor Medvedchuk was detained by the SBU (the Security Service of Ukraine) on April 12).

Another, anonymous interlocutor of UA.SOUTH reported that the exchange was being prepared by the two countries' Turkish and Russian special services. From the Ukrainian side, four people were informed: President Volodymyr Zelensky, head of the office Andriy Yermak, director of military counter-intelligence Kyrylo Budanov, and current head of the State Treasury Fund Rustem Umerov. The latter was then a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the "Golos" fraction and was responsible for communications with the Turkish side. Umerov also brought in the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Muhammad bin Salman, to help release ten foreigners.

photo: Official website of the President of Ukraine

In parallel, the public part of the preparation for such an operation took place. The proof is the video message of Medvedchuk's wife, Oksana Marchenko, to President Erdogan, distributed on April 13.

Our sources claim that Turkish President Erdoğan joined the process after Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to him.

During the operation, 205 Ukrainian soldiers were released, among them five commanders of the "Mariupol" garrison: Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynskyi, Denys Shlega, and Oleg Khomenko. They will remain in Turkey under the personal protection of the Turkish leader until the end of the war. These are the terms of exchange. Ukrainian heroes are now in a Turkish hospital.

The remaining 200 soldiers are in Ukraine.

photo: Official website of the President of Ukraine

photo: Security Service of Ukraine