Hurriyet: the transfer of Medvedchuk and the “Azov” in the exchange of 200 prisoners took place in Ankara

The Turkish publication Hurriyet reported how the transfer of opposition Ukrainian politician Viktor Medvedchuk and 5 commanders of the Ukrainian Azov battalion (the organization was recognized as a terrorist organization and banned in Russia) took place as part of the exchange of 200 prisoners between the Russian Federation and Ukraine in September 2022.

Negotiations on the exchange were held at the headquarters of the National Intelligence Organization of Turkey (MIT) in Ankara, and the transfer of Medvedchuk and the “Azov” people was carried out at the airport of the Turkish capitals.

“When the X-day came, the Russian side put forward the condition that the commanders of the Azov battalion remain in Turkey,” the newspaper writes. Ukraine accepted the condition.

On the day of the exchange, planes from Russia and Ukraine arrived at the Turkish Esenboga airport.

The commanders of the national battalion were on the Russian liner. Medvedchuk was sitting in Ukrainian.

Further, events developed as follows: representatives of Ukraine, accompanied by Turkish intelligence officers, boarded the Russian plane. At the same time, representatives of Russia boarded the Ukrainian aircraft. According to the sources of the newspaper, the exchange of defendants took place without any problems.

As the Turkish edition clarifies, since that time the commanders of Azov have been in Turkey “as guests.” The agreements reached are not violated by any of the parties. Medvedchuk’s whereabouts have not been reported.

Viktor Medvedchuk has been under house arrest in Kyiv since May 2021. He was accused of treason. In February 2022, he escaped from custody. Ukrainian special services detained him in April, he was threatened with up to 15 years in prison. In September 2022, Medvedchuk, along with 55 Russian servicemen, was exchanged for Ukrainian prisoners of war. During this exchange, 215 people were transferred to Kyiv.