Defenders of Azovstal are preparing for the exchange – Zelenskyy

Defenders of Mariupol, who were taken out of the Azovstal plant blocked by the Russian occupiers, must be released in exchange.

This was announced by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy in an exclusive interview with ICTV.

– It seems to me that in the near future, even in the coming days, everyone will be taken away. Let’s see. The structure is complex. We agreed that the unblocking would be done by Western mediators and partners. I negotiated with Turkey, Switzerland, Israel.

Today, our guys have the full right to go out and save their lives. The military command informed all those blocked at Azovstal. The mediators, along with the countries I told you about, were actually UN representatives.

And then what the UN, the Red Cross, the Russian Federation have taken on – that they will all be safe. And they will expect one or another format of exchange, – he explained.

The evacuation of Mariupol defenders from the Azovstal plant became known on May 16. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy then stated that the rescue operation was being carried out by the Ukrainian military and intelligence.

He assured that the Ukrainian side is doing everything to bring the fighters home.

On May 20, the commander of the Azov Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, announced that the Ukrainian military command had given Azovstal defenders an order to stop defending the city and save the lives of the fighters.