A total of 1908 Ukrainian servicemen have left the Azovstal steel plant area which was besieged for over two months, TASS cites Russia’s Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“1908 soldiers have given up their weapons as of now,” he said, adding that 177 civilians also left the steelworks.
The Defence Ministry claimed yesterday that 1730 soldiers had been escorted to the territory of the pro-Russian self-proclaimed “DPR” state; they are now receiving medical treatment, the ministry claims.
Dmytro Kozatsky, a fighter of the Azov regiment also known as Orest, announced leaving the steelworks earlier today. “That’s about all. Thank you for giving me shelter, Azovstal, you are the place of my life and the place of my death,” he wrote on his Twitter.
The evacuation of the Azovstal defenders started on 16 March after an agreement was made between Russia and Ukraine. The Russian Defence Ministry says the soldiers are “surrendering themselves”, their Ukrainian counterparts are hoping to rescue their soldiers in a POW exchange.
The Russian Investigative Committee announced its plans to interrogate the Ukrainian servicemen transported to “DPR” territory earlier. “Russian investigators will identify the nationalists and determine their involvement in the crimes committed against the civilian population,” the committee stated.
Mariupol is a huge city in the south of the Donetsk region on the coast of the Sea of Azov. The city was surrounded in the early days of the war and remained under siege for more than six weeks. The Azovstal steel plant remained Ukraine’s only defencive position in the besieged Mariupol. The defenders of the steelworks reported numerous wounded within the area who were in dire need of medical treatment.