[1/5] Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy speaks with commanders of defenders of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works in Mariupol Denys Prokopenko, Sviatoslav Palamar, Denys Shleha, Serhii Volynskyi and Oleh Homenko inside a plane as they return to Ukraine from Istanbul, Turkey July 8, 2023. Ukrainian... Read moreKYIV, July 8 (Reuters) - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, returning home from a visit to Turkey, brought with him five commanders of Ukraine's former garrison in Mariupol, forced to live in Turkey under the terms of a prisoner exchange last year. The commanders, lionised as heroes in Ukraine, led last year's defence of the port, the biggest city Russia captured in its invasion. "We are returning home from Turkey and bringing our heroes home," said Zelenskiy who met Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for talks in Istanbul on Friday. Zelenskiy gave no explanation for why the commanders were being allowed to return home now.

---

Persons: Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Mariupol Denys Prokopenko, Sviatoslav Palamar, Denys Shleha, Serhii, Read, Zelenskiy, Tayyip Erdogan, Denys Prokopenko, Svyatoslav Palamar, Serhiy Volynsky, Oleh Khomenko, Maksym Zhorin, Olena, Peter Graff Organizations: Steel, Turkey's, Communications, Thomson Locations: Mariupol, Ukraine, Istanbul, Turkey, KYIV, Russia, Kyiv, Ankara, Moscow, Czech