“We will have our say”: released Azovstal commanders vow to return to battle

Released from Russian captivity and their stay in Türkiye, commanders Azov regiment pledged to "have their say" in upcoming battles.

Five commanders from Azovstal had been brought back to Ukraine on Saturday following negotiations with Türkiye.

I am deeply convinced that the army is a joint effort, and from this day onwards, we will continue the fight together with you. We will definitely have our say in battle, said commander Denys Prokopenko.

Ukrainian army has seized the initiative on the front line, and every day we advance, destroy the enemy, and liberate captured territories.

We will do everything possible and to speed up the liberation, so that the war reaches its conclusion.

Prokopenko said he is planning to return to the battlefield.

Of course. That's why we returned to Ukraine. This is our main goal.

We are back, and we will continue to do our work. We are military, we accepted an oath, Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment Sviatoslav Palamar said.

Russian forces captured commanders responsible for Mariupol defenses, who were later brought to Türkiye. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky announced their release in a prisoner swap when the soldiers were brought back to Ukraine. 

Putin's spokesman Dmitrii Peskov accused Ukraine and Türkiye of violating agreements after five commanders who defended the Azovstal steelworks were brought back to their homeland instead of the vowed "after the war" principle.