Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol. File photoMOSCOW, May 1Kyiv's hysterical desire to withdraw militants from the Mariupol Azovstal plant to Ukrainian-controlled territory is due to the fact that they can confirm the presence of mercenaries and, possibly, active officers of Western armies, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. «The situation with the confrontation at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and the stubborn, even hysterical desire of Zelensky, his team and his Western patrons to achieve the conclusions of all these people and send them to the territory of Ukraine is explained by the fact that there are many characters who will confirm the presence of both mercenaries, and perhaps active officers of the Western armies on the side of the Ukrainian radicals,» Lavrov said in an interview with the Italian TV company Mediaset. jpg» />At Azovstal there is a general of mercenaries, an employee of the plant saidThanks to the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, the territory of Azovstal was removed ü to rescue 80 civilians, including women and children, held by Ukrainian nationalists, the Russian Defense Ministry announced earlier on Sunday. All released civilians were evacuated to the village of Bezymennoe in the Donetsk People's Republic, where they were provided with accommodation, food and the necessary medical assistance.
