Ukraine's Defence Intelligence chief on release of Azov soldiers from captivity: All of them will be brought home eventually

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Ukraine's Defence Intelligence of the Ministry of Defence, has said that Ukraine will eventually bring back all its prisoners of war, including the Azov fighters. Source: Budanov on the national 24/7 newscast  Quote: "Russia is playing its usual game: it is trying to play a trump card of, so to speak, questions that are socially complex in their understanding in many layers of our population, which include the question of Azov.  Because this is a very contentious issue in our society, it is a very sore point.

And they want to use this to give them some benefit in terms of destabilisation in our country. It will not."

Details: Separately, Budanov noted that even the commanders of the Azov regiment have been returned to Ukraine, "which no one ever believed [possible - ed.] and considered unrealistic." Quote: "But the facts speak for themselves.

And in time, everyone will be taken back. But I want to emphasise once again: first, no one owes us anything, nor we owe them. Second, we are in a state of open war.

This is a complex question. Each exchange is a separate operation, purely an operation. Absolutely all levers are used here.

I will not disclose forms and methods, but I want to say once again that there is nothing to do with civilised work in this."

Background:

• On 3 January, Ukraine brought back 230 of its military and civilians from Russian captivity.

  Among them are 130 soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (including 14 from the Territorial Defence and 14 from the Navy); 55 from the National Guard; 38 from the State Border Guard Service; 1 from the National Police; and 6 civilians who were illegally imprisoned.

• Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko (alias Redis), Commander of the Azov Brigade of the National Guard, said that the Azov fighters who stood at the forefront of the Ukrainian Defence Forces in the battles for Mariupol were not returned during this exchange.

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