Azovstal

Ukraine secures return of 200 prisoners of war from Russia

Ukraine returned 200 soldiers from Russian captivity in the first phase of a prisoner exchange agreed during talks in Geneva, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on X on March 5.

5 March, 05:11 PM

Russia aims to encircle major cities in Donbas – Azov commander

The commander of the International Battalion of the 12th Azov Brigade, known by the call sign “Kil,” said fighting has intensified on the Dobropillia axis and warned of enemy force buildups, while describing a strict selection process for foreign fighters, speaking on Radio NV on Feb. 13.

13 February, 01:56 PM

Ukrainian troops and Azov clear Pankivka of Russian invaders in Dobropillia sector, Donetsk Oblast

Troops of the Azov 1st National Guard Corps, working with Ukrainian Armed Forces, cleared the village of Pankivka and nearby areas of Russian invaders in the Dobropillia sector of Donetsk Oblast, Azov said on Sept. 15.

15 September 2025, 01:48 PM

More than half of Azovstal’s defenders now liberated from Russian captivity

1,279 Ukrainian soldiers, who defended Azovstal in Mariupol in 2022 have been released from Russian captivity, 455 of them are from the Azov Brigade, HUR representative Andrii Yusov said in an interview with Radio Liberty on May 28.

29 May 2025, 09:14 AM

Ukrposhta to release new stamp honoring Mariupol

Ukrposhta will release the tenth stamp in its Hero Cities series, honoring Mariupol, with steel from Azovstal used in the design, General Director Ihor Smilyanskyi announced on March 10.

10 March 2025, 04:19 PM

Azovstal defender returns after 884 days in Russian captivity

City of Zdolbuniv in Rivne Oblast welcomed Azovstal defender Artur Niverchuk, who endured an unimaginable 884 days in Russian captivity, local media Rayon in ua wrote on Dec. 28.

30 December 2024, 01:22 PM

Russia plans to turn Mariupol’s Azovstal Steel Plant into a tourist park

Russia intends to transform the Azovstal steel plant in occupied Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, into a tourist park, Mariupol's City Council wrote on Telegram on Aug. 27, citing local channels.

27 August 2024, 12:15 PM

Coordination Headquarters reveals details of 55th POW exchange — photos, video

Ukraine secured the return of conscripts, including 82 Mariupol defenders, according to the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War during the 55th prisoner exchange on Aug. 24.

24 August 2024, 06:12 PM

Autopsy finds Ukrainian POW killed by blunt force trauma in Russian jail

Ukrainian prisoner of war Oleksandr Ishchenko, who served as a driver in the Azov Regiment, died in a detention center in Rostov-on-Don due to “a closed blunt chest injury caused by contact with a blunt object,” according to autopsy results shared by Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine. The autopsy details were published on Facebook on Aug. 7.

7 August 2024, 03:51 PM

UN mission refuses to acknowledge Ukrainian evidence on Olenivka attack – Ukrainian ombudsman

Two years after the Russian terrorist attack in Olenivka, the UN mission has never agreed to review Ukrainian materials on the strike, reported Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets on Facebook on July 29.

30 July 2024, 01:17 PM

Ukraine returns 95 defenders from Russian captivity

Ukraine releases another 95 defenders from the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard and Border Guards from Russian captivity and returns them home, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on July 17.

17 July 2024, 05:12 PM

Ukraine returns home Mariupol policewoman kept in captivity for more than 2 years

Mariana Checheliuk, an investigator from Mariupol who sought refuge from Russian shelling in the underground facilities of Azovstal in 2022, has been released from captivity, according to the Grunt (Soil) Telegram channel on May 31.

31 May 2024, 06:05 PM

Survivors of Olenivka explosion describe it as ‘thermobaric blast,’ label incident as Russian war crime

Survivors of the explosion that rocked the prisoner-of-war colony in Olenivka on July 29, 2022, have no doubts that it was a terrorist attack, former Ukrainian POW, Azov officer, and defender of Mariupol, Arsen Dmytryk (Lemko), said on Radio NV on April 11.

16 April 2024, 01:36 PM

Free Azov rally held in Kyiv to remind of Mariupol defenders still held by Russia – photo

A rally to remember the Mariupol defenders still held captive by Russia, in particular from Ukraine’s Azov Brigade, took place in Kyiv’s Lviv Square on March 3.Participants held posters reminding of the soldiers who have been in Russian captivity for almost two years.

4 March 2024, 03:12 PM

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