Azovstal defenders attend training session of Ukraine's national football team – photos
Azovstal defenders attended the training session of the Ukrainian national football team before their Euro 2024 second round group stage match against Slovakia.
Source: Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF)
Details: It is noted that the training of the national team was observed by about 30 military personnel who are currently undergoing rehabilitation after serious injuries.
The military, together with the national team, drew attention to the fact that about 1,500 Azovstal defenders are still being held captive in Russia, while the total number of prisoners of war is several thousand more.
The national team's players recently appeared in a video in which they called for support for Ukraine during the war against Russia, and later the UAF released a video expressing gratitude to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The match between Slovakia and Ukraine will take place on Friday, 21 June, at the Düsseldorf Arena stadium. The starting whistle will be blown at 16:00 Kyiv time.
The game will be the second of three fixtures of the national team of Ukraine in the group round of Euro 2024. Champion, a sports news platform within Ukrainska Pravda’s holding company, will provide live text coverage of the game. In the first match at the European Championship, Ukraine suffered a crushing defeat against Romania, which significantly worsened the former's ranking.
For reference:
The Defence of Azovstal was a military operation that took place from 18 March to 20 May 2022 on the territory of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol and the surrounding area as part of the battle for Mariupol during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The city's defenders came out of their shelter at Azovstal on 16-20 May 2022, and became prisoners of war.
After the withdrawal of the Ukrainian military, according to agreements, they will wait for an exchange. The Ukrainian authorities called the operation an evacuation; Russia claims that the defenders surrendered.
On 21 September 2022, Ukraine made its first POW exchange. As of now, more than 900 soldiers of Azov Regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine have been held in Russian captivity for almost two years.
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