Mariupol soon entirely in Russian hands? In any case, this seems to be on the way, according to the latest information communicated by the Russian authorities. This Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that nearly 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers holed up on the Azovstal steel site in Mariupol had surrendered since Monday. The factory was “fully liberated” by the Russian army, Moscow then assured on Friday.
“In the past 24 hours, 771 fighters from the nationalist Azov regiment went to the Azovstal steel site in Mariupol. In total since May 16, 1,730 combatants, including 80 wounded, have become prisoners,” the ministry said in a statement. On Wednesday, there were still a thousand to be holed up in the huge industrial complex, the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city of Mariupol.
“Since May 16, 2,439 Nazis from the Azov (regiment) and Ukrainian soldiers blocked in the factory have surrendered. Today, May 20, the last group of 531 fighters surrendered,” Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing.
Nearly 2000 people present at the start
Earlier in the day, ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that nearly 900 of these Ukrainian soldiers had been sent to a temporary detention center, while the others, injured, continue to be treated in hospital. of Novoazovsk in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
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According to the pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pushilin, nearly 2,000 people were initially present in the gigantic industrial site. The strategic port of Mariupol, where the Azovstal steel plant is located, was completely ravaged by the fighting. Since the end of April, the entire city except for the factory has been controlled by Russian forces.