The battle for Mariupol seems to be over, and the Ukrainian soldiers who had entrenched themselves at the Azovstal steelworks are about to surrender.
Less than 20 minutes ago
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Ukraine’s Defense Ministry announced late Monday night that 264 Ukrainian soldiers, including 53 seriously wounded, had left the steelworks and were in Russian-controlled territory.
Ukraine’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ganna Maljar stated that the soldiers would be subject to a “swap procedure”, that is, would be exchanged with Russian prisoners of war. This has not been confirmed by the Russian team.
To the hospital
Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that 265 Ukrainian soldiers had laid down their arms and surrendered in the past 24 hours, including 51 seriously injured.
According to the news agency Reuters, the wounded soldiers were taken by bus to a hospital in separatist-controlled Novoazovsk in the Donetsk region, escorted by pro-Russian forces.
The others were sent to the Russian-controlled city of Olenivka and are then reportedly sent back as part of an agreement with Russia on prisoner exchange.
–Sets the matches
According to Ukraine’s defense leadership, all combat operations in Mariupol have been halted, and the remaining soldiers at the Azovstal steelworks have been ordered to surrender.
It was unclear on Tuesday night whether there were still Ukrainian soldiers at the steelworks, and if so, how many.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyj confirms that orders have been issued to evacuate the soldiers to save lives.
– I want to emphasize: Ukraine needs its Ukrainian heroes alive. This is our principle, he said in a video statement.
Negotiations
Russia and Ukraine have in recent days negotiated an agreement to ensure that the besieged soldiers at the steelworks were treated in accordance with international rules for prisoners of war.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said last week that there were more than 1,000 soldiers at the steel plant, and that hundreds of them were injured.
According to Maljar, work is currently underway to retrieve the remaining soldiers.
– Thanks to the defenders of Mariupol. Ukraine won crucial time, and they followed their orders. But it is impossible to break through the siege of Azovstal by military means, she said on Monday.
–Last frontier
The steelworks on the outskirts of Mariupol was the last stronghold for the remaining Ukrainian forces in the port city, where Russian forces moved in shortly after the invasion on 24 February.
Many civilians have also been in the steelworks, but most of them were evacuated with assistance from the UN and the Red Cross.
By taking control of Mariupol, Russia has now secured a land bridge between the separatist-controlled part of the Donbas region to the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. In this way, they have also taken control of more than 80 percent of Ukraine’s coast to the Black Sea. .
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