Ukrainian officer says Erdoğan helped address fate of Mariupol garrison

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan played a significant role in efforts to rescue the Ukrainian Armed Forces garrison defending the city of Mariupol in 2022, according to a Ukrainian military officer.

In an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda, Serhiy Volynskyi, an officer of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said that Erdoğan had personally engaged in addressing the situation and provided assistance related to the besieged defenders. Volynskyi expressed gratitude to the Turkish president for his involvement, both on an individual level and in taking up the issue more broadly.

Volynskyi recalled that in April 2022 Erdoğan held negotiations with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy focused on humanitarian assistance to Mariupol, including the evacuation of civilians trapped in the city. During those discussions, the Ukrainian side also appealed to Türkiye to help facilitate the exchange of Ukrainian soldiers who were surrounded at the Azovstal steel plant.

By Sabina Mammadli