Through the joint efforts of various agencies, 169 "Azov" fighters were successfully returned from captivity in 2024. However, 850 "Azov" soldiers still remain in enemy captivity.
This was reported in a post by the commander of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade "Azov," Denys Prokopenko (nickname – Redis).
"...no successful operation in war comes without a cost. Behind every repelled enemy attack and every reclaimed meter of Ukrainian land stand the sweat, blood, and lives of our fighters. It is their decisive actions that Ukraine owes for the ability to welcome the new year in free Ukrainian cities. This opportunity is denied to 850 "Azov" fighters, who have been in extremely harsh conditions in Russian captivity for more than two and a half years. Through the joint efforts of various agencies, 169 of our comrades were returned from captivity in 2024. In the coming year, we will continue to do everything to rescue all our captives from the hell of Russian prisons," wrote the commander.
He also warned Ukrainians against unjustified expectations: "Today, the Ukrainian and global media space is saturated with confidence that the war in Ukraine will end in 2025. This belief harms both the front and the rear. It provides a false illusion, calms and relaxes in a situation where relaxing means losing the state and independence. If these forecasts do not come true, our society will face severe disappointment that will affect the country’s defence capabilities. This should not be allowed under any circumstances. Moreover, any security guarantees that Ukraine may receive do not mean that Ukrainians can shift the responsibility for the defence of the country onto others. We already have the infamous example of the Budapest Memorandum, which lulled Ukrainian society into believing that signatures on paper would ensure the security of our borders."
Prokopenko writes that "even if hostilities cease in 2025, the war will not disappear. It will look at us with the eyes of our fallen comrades, remind us of itself with the ruins of Ukrainian cities, accompany the tears of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian families who lost the most precious. And it will breathe down our necks with the mere fact of the existence of an enemy at our borders, who will never give up its intention to occupy Ukraine. This means we will have no choice but to continue reforming the army, building up our military-industrial complex, and preparing. Because next time, the occupier will come even stronger and better prepared."