Ukrainian commander denounces broken promises on Azovstal defenders’ release

On July 29, a day marking the tragic deaths of Ukrainian POWs in Olenivka prison, Azov Brigade commander Denys “Redis” Prokopenko voiced his frustration over the stalled prisoner swap, warning that it could reach a point where “there will be no one to exchange.”

Released from Russian captivity in September 2022, Prokopenko expressed bitterness over the nearly two-year-long neglect of the guarantees given to the Azovstal holdouts following their exit from the steel plant in besieged Mariupol.

The prisoner swap had been arranged by the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, Russian officials, and Ukrainian leaders in May 2022. It promised the “preservation of each serviceman’s life, no torture, and prompt exchange.” However, Prokopenko agues, “The Russians, with their characteristic treachery, have ignored all these points.”

He condemned the killing of 53 unarmed Azov fighters in Olenivka, noting that modern history does not have similar examples of inhumane cruelty towards POWs.

The situation raises uncomfortable questions for the parties who acted as swap guarantors. Prokopenko questioned whether they “made all possible efforts, explored all options, and used the necessary leverage on the Russians” to ensure the promised prisoner exchange could happen three to four months after what Ukraine called their “extraction” procedure.

The Ukrainian military commander stressed that Ukraine is running out of time as the health of Ukrainian POWs deteriorates in captivity. “It is difficult to convey in words what one day in Russian captivity is like. There is no time. Constant torture, hunger, the demonstrative execution in Olenivka, illegal trials, and life sentences. Soon there will be no one left to exchange,” the embittered commander warned.