Senior Ukrainian official thanks Turkish intelligence chief for Russia prisoner swap

By Burak Dag

ANKARA (AA) – Andriy Yermak, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, on Tuesday said he “personally thanked” Turkish intelligence chief Hakan Fidan for the recent prisoner swap with Russia.

Türkiye played an instrumental role in a deal that led to Moscow releasing 215 Ukrainian soldiers in exchange for 55 Russian servicemen last month.

Yermak arrived in Türkiye over the weekend for meetings with senior Turkish officials, including Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin, as well as US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.

In a tweet on Tuesday, Yermak said he met with Turkish National Intelligence Organization head Fidan and “personally thanked him for facilitating the release of 215 soldiers and providing conditions for #Azovstal defenders in Türkiye.”

“Ukraine highly appreciates reliable partnership with Türkiye and is looking forward to close cooperation in the future,” he added.

On Monday, he also met five Ukrainian servicemen who were among those captured by Russian forces at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

Hailed in Ukraine as the “defenders of Azovstal,” the five Ukrainians are in Türkiye “according to the terms of exchange under the personal guarantees of protection of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan,” according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidential office.

Turkish officials also helped Yermak organize a meeting of the five Ukrainians with their family members.