There was only one woman on the list for exchange from 29 June - Azov Regiment
KATERYNA TISHCHENKO — FRIDAY, 1 JULY 2022, 10:58 P.M.
There was only one female soldier on the 29 June prisoner exchange list.
Source: Acting Commander of the Azov Regiment, Mykyta Nadtochii, in a video message
Quote: "A total of 144 service members were exchanged, among them 95 service members are [former] defenders of Azovstal. From this entire list, only one female military service member was submitted for exchange.
At the moment, there are still a lot of female medics who performed combat missions on the territory of the Mariupol garrison."
‼️ Звернення т.в.о. обов'язки командира полку "Азов" майора Микити Надточія, Раз-Два, з приводу обміну військовополоненими, завдяки якому додому повернулися 43 бійця полку "Азов". pic.twitter.com/Ksw0kYRc9C
— АЗОВ (@Polk_Azov) July 1, 2022Advertisement:
Details: Nadtochii also noted that all fighters who returned home need treatment and long-term rehabilitation.
What preceded: On 29 June, as part of the largest exchange of prisoners since 24 February, Ukraine returned 144 military personnel, including 95 defenders of Azovstal.
Background:
- The Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol, who were taken out of the territory of Azovstal in May, were being held in a penal colony in the Donetsk region. Ukrainska Pravda sources in the Ukrainian government claimed that 2,449 Ukrainian service members are in Olenivka as prisoners.
- The defenders of Mariupol entered Russian-controlled territory on 16-20 May. According to the Russian side, 2,439 fighters left the Azovstal dungeons. Representatives of the Red Cross registered Ukrainian defenders as prisoners of war.
- The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine declared that the Mariupol garrison had completed its combat mission and commanders were ordered to preserve the lives of personnel. The Ministry of Defense explained that there is no other option to save the defenders from "Azovstal" except to go to the enemy.
- On 19 June, the Russian mass media reported that the commanders of the Azov Regiment were taken from the occupied territory of Donetsk region to Russia for "investigative actions." Prior to that, the commander of the Azov National Guard regiment, Denys Prokopenko, handed over his duties to Major Mykyta Nadtochii.
