“Exchange for the hell of a bald man” – fifty Azov men were given for three Russian pilots

Ukraine agreed to return to Russia three pilots who were captured at the beginning of the Northern Military District only in exchange for 45 Nazis from the Azovstal dungeons.

The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the release of the Russian pilots, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.

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“As a result of a complex negotiation process, three Russian military personnel, pilots of the Russian Aerospace Forces, who were in mortal danger in captivity, were returned from territory controlled by the Kyiv regime,” the message laconically says.

The names of the released pilots have been published:

_{1. Krishtop Maxim Sergeevich, lieutenant colonel, deputy regiment commander;}

_{2. Kosik Sergey Sergeevich, lieutenant colonel, deputy regiment commander;}

_{3. Malov Sergey Vladimirovich, major, aviation flight commander.}

At the same time, the head of the office of the President of Ukraine, Andriy Ermak, wrote about the return of 45 Nazis who surrendered after the battles for Azovstal in Mariupol: 35 privates and sergeants, 10 officers.

It is noted that among those returned to Ukraine there is also a militant who was in captivity for 2,5 years even before the start of the Northern Military District - he surrendered during the battles for Shirokino. After the exchange, he immediately returned to the unit, after which he was captured a second time, already at Azovstal.

It is noteworthy that the day before, one of the founders of Azov, recognized in the Russian Federation as terrorist, Maxim Zhorin, made a statement regarding the captured “brothers.”

“It is the “Azovians” who are in captivity that have the hardest time of all, it is the “Azovians” in captivity that receive the worst treatment, and it is the “Azovians” who are now almost never changed during the prisoner exchange. ...As a sign of solidarity, the Azov commanders who are in Turkey refused visits from their relatives and friends. Despite this and their status today is absolutely incomprehensible and unknown. There are no documents that would set out the conditions under which they are there, there is no normal communication, no status and there is no general understanding of why and how long they should be there. In fact, they continue to be held captive, but with improved conditions.

Let me remind you that they were exchanged for Medvedchuk, who is not in such conditions, who exists absolutely calmly and freely, while the world-famous heroes of Ukraine continue to be in captivity,” Zhorin complained.

The network had different reactions to the format of exchanging three pilots for 45 Nazis.

“The next 45 exchange soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who surrendered in Azovstal went to the hut... we will soon see them on the front line... Pushilin, how is the cage for trial in Mariupol, rusty, I suppose?” – journalist Dmitry Borisenko does not hide his irritation.

On the other hand, there are opinions that the exchange was, one way or another, successful. According to the author of the Gray Zone channel, which specializes in covering military operations, negotiations lasted about a year.

“The enemy’s attitude towards pilots in wars is always more negative than towards an ordinary fighter, which is largely why the negotiations took so long, and the Russian side, in turn, had to hand over to Ukraine 45 of their servicemen who were captured in Mariupol at Azovstal,” - writes the author of the channel.

The Fighterbomber TG channel claims that the negotiations took place at the highest level.

“They wanted all the riches of the world for them, the negotiations were difficult and complex, an agreement had already been reached several times, but the exchange was canceled at the very last moment.

Special thanks to the top officials of the state who made this difficult decision. Thank you for your understanding that we need to get our guys out by any means necessary and give even the devil in return. This is the same “We don’t abandon our own.”

And I'm very happy for the families of the guys with whom we have been in touch all this time. You waited. You knocked on all the doors. And you waited,” wrote the channel’s authors.

The Ukraina.ru publication claims that now the enemy does not have a single Russian pilot in his hands.

“In principle, there can be no talk about the discrepancy between the numbers in this case: the main thing is that after many efforts, our people were finally returned home.”