“The Wall Street Journal” reveals how V. Medvedchuk was replaced as the commander of “Azov”.

in 2022 September 22 One of the biggest hostage exchanges between Ukraine and Russia took place on the runway of Ankara airport. The publication calls this exchange more complex in terms of agreements than the exchange of Russian-US pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko for Marine Trevor Reed.

According to the WSJ, the parties have been reluctant to enter into negotiations. The head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriys Yermak, who oversaw the exchange, said he did not trust the Russians. Ukraine demanded that the identities of the captured soldiers be established.

The exchange took place after the head of military intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov, boarded the plane with the Ukrainians, took pictures and sent them to Kyiv.

The publication notes that the other plane was carrying 10 foreign fighters, mostly Americans and Britons, who had been taken hostage by the Russians while fighting in Ukraine, and who were also released in the exchange. All of them were accompanied to Riyadh by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Ukraine is known to have exchanged Viktor Medvedchuk for 215 Ukrainian military personnel, including five commanders of the Azov Regiment. Russia also returned 56 of its military personnel.

The return of Ukrainian commanders from Turkey caused hysteria in the Kremlin

According to the agreement, the Azovstal defenders were supposed to remain in Turkey until the end of the war, but in 2023. they returned to Ukraine in July.

We will remind you that the return of Ukrainian commanders from Turkey caused hysteria in the Kremlin. Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Turkey of violating the agreements, which stipulated that Azovstal defense commanders would be on Turkish territory until the end of the war in Ukraine.

Viktor Medvedchuk is an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and the founder of a banned party in Ukraine. Even before Russia launched a full-scale invasion, he was suspected of treason.

Until 2022 February. he was placed under house arrest but later escaped. In April of last year, the Security Service of Ukraine detained V. Medvedchuk, and in September he was exchanged for the defenders of Mariupol, including the commanders of Azov, who defended Azovstal.

His wife, Oksana Marchenko, also fled to Russia and is now there. She appears in several high-profile cases.