Azov commanders who returned to Ukraine after prisoner swap say they plan to continue fighting

Denys Prokopenko, a commander of the Azov Regiment who returned to Ukraine, told journalists in Lviv the commanders plan to continue fighting. He was one of five Azov commanders who flew back to Ukraine from Turkey on July 8, accompanied by Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky. They were released from Russian captivity in a prisoner swap.

In response to a question about whether the Azov commanders would return to the front, Prokopenko said, “Of course. That’s why we returned. That’s our main goal.”

Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Turkey and Ukraine of breaking the terms of the agreement that freed the commanders from Russian captivity. According to Peskov, the deal required the five commanders to remain in Turkey “until the end of the conflict.”