According to the latest data, more than 300 Ukrainian soldiers left the Mariupol plant «Azovstal» ;, which remained the last district of the city controlled by Ukraine. The President of Ukraine called this operation «saving the military», who held the defense for almost two months, the Russian authorities call it capitulation.
The Ukrainian military was taken to a former penal colony in Russian-controlled Olenevka village near Donetsk. Among them — about 50 people with severe injuries.
It is assumed that the wounded will be taken to the hospital, where they will receive the necessary medical care. This was the main condition of the agreement on their withdrawal from «Azovstal, where they have been for the last two months.
The further fate of the fighters is still unclear. Earlier it was reported that Ukraine expects to exchange them, returning part of the Russian prisoners of war to Russia. However, on Tuesday, in an interview with the New York Times, Verkhovna Rada deputy Kira Rudik, who took part in the talks on the evacuation of the defenders of Azovstal», said that the mechanism for the exchange had not yet been developed.
According to her, the Ukrainian authorities would like this to happen through a third country, such as Turkey, but Russia is opposed. At the very least, Rudik said, Ukraine received guarantees from organizations such as the UN and the Red Cross that everything would be fine with the Ukrainian military on Russian soil. «That was the only reason we agreed [to the evacuation] because the soldiers were ready to stand to the end», — she said.
«A real concentration camp»
It is reported that in the evening another convoy of seven buses arrived in Olenevka, accompanied by the Russian military. Advisor to the mayor of Mariupol Petr Andryushchenko last week in his telegram channel called the colony in Olenevka «a real concentration camp of the XXI century, created by Russia in the center of Europe».
«Azovstal» constantly shelled Russian troops
People, according to him, are kept there in horrendous conditions, they are not fed every day, and they do not provide medical assistance. «It contains relatives of the military, former law enforcement officers, activists, journalists and people who simply aroused suspicion (including simply having patriotic tattoos)», — Andryushchenko said.
The Russian side has not yet commented on these accusations.
In his evening address, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the evacuation of the Ukrainian military from the plant «Azovstal» continues in Mariupol.
Active hostilities at «Azovstal» started on March 18, 2022. In early March, Mariupol itself was surrounded by Russian troops. At the same time «Azovstal» remained under the control of Ukraine, as the Ukrainian military took refuge at the plant, including from the «Azov» regiment, who defended the plant.
The Kremlin calls the regiment «Azov» «Neo-Nazi» formation, one of the examples of that radical anti-Russian nationalism or, in Russian terminology, «Nazism», from which the Russian-speakers in Ukraine supposedly were supposed to be saved by «special operation». Experts explain that the regiment «Azov» — this is no longer the same volunteer battalion «Azov», the backbone of which in 2014, indeed, was made up of radical nationalists.
In addition, along with «Azov» Mariupol and «Azovstal» defended by both Ukrainian marines and border guards.
Russian troops constantly fired on «Azovstal», trying to take it by storm, but to no avail: the huge metallurgical complex has a complex system of deep underground shelters and communications and actually turned into a fort, where not only the military, but also civilians took refuge.< /p>
On April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin «on cameras», in a staged television conversation with the Minister of Defense, canceled the order to storm «Azovstal» and instructed the military to block the plant area. Nevertheless, the bombings and attempts to storm the plant, according to the Ukrainian side, did not stop.
The rest of the «Azovstal» military and civilians refused to surrender and actually found themselves in a blockade: they had almost no water, food, medicines and ammunition.
With the help of the Red Cross and the UN, the Ukrainian and Russian authorities managed to agree on the opening of humanitarian corridors for civilians residents.
According to the UN, 500 civilians were taken out of the plant. But the military remained, including the wounded. Since the plant does not have sterile dressings, medical instruments and antibiotics, as the Ukrainian side claims, many of them were doomed to amputation of injured limbs or death from sepsis.
How they left the plant
On the morning of May 16, a post appeared on the telegram channel of Alexander Khodakovsky, commander of one of the troops of the self-proclaimed DPR: «From «our» the first ten military men with white flags came out of the tunnel & # 187;, & # 8212; he wrote. It was about the military from «Azovstal».
Buses with Ukrainian military men under Russian escort
A few hours later, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that with those blocked at «Azovstal» in Mariupol, representatives of the Ukrainian military reached an agreement on the removal of the wounded, a regime of silence was introduced and a humanitarian corridor was opened through which the wounded Ukrainian soldiers were taken to the hospital in Novoazovsk on the territory of the self-proclaimed DPR.
Late on May 16, this was confirmed by the Ukrainian authorities .
According to the Deputy Head of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Anna Malyar, 264 people left the plant: 53 seriously wounded were taken to Novoazovsk, another 211 people were delivered to Yelenovka through the humanitarian corridor. These settlements are located on the territory controlled by Russian troops.
On Tuesday, May 17, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, & # 171; Azovstal & # 187; 265 soldiers left, including 51 seriously wounded.
What is the name of the operation in Russia and Ukraine?
«Yesterday, the surrender of militants of the nationalist unit «Azov» and Ukrainian servicemen blocked at the plant «Azovstal» in Mariupol», — Igor Konashenkov, official representative of the Russian Ministry of Defense, described what is happening at the plant in this way.
Russian media and other officials also use the words «surrender» and the phrase that the Ukrainian military «lay down their arms».
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls it a «humanitarian operation to save lives», and those who came out with &# 171;Azovstal» — heroes.
«Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military — Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, as well as the negotiating group of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN, there is hope that it will be possible to save the lives of our guys. I want to emphasize that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive. This is our principle. I think that every adequate person will understand these words», — Zelensky said in his nightly address to the Ukrainians.
What will happen to the military from «Azovstal»
Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Vereshchuk said that local authorities are working on the next stages of the operation to evacuate Ukrainian soldiers from the metallurgical plant «Azovstal». It is not known exactly how many soldiers remained there, but earlier it was reported that there were from 600 to 1000 people at the plant. Even earlier, they talked about two thousand.
The fate of the evacuated wounded and those who independently left the «Azovstal» Ukrainian military remains unknown
Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said today that there is no other formula for rescuing the military than the one currently used.
«Unfortunately, military deblockade is impossible in this situation. This was the only way», — Malyar emphasized. She also stated that the Ukrainian authorities know the exact number of those who remained at the plant, but did not name it.
The main question remains the fate of those who have already left and will still leave the plant.
Kyiv is counting return those who left with & # 171; Azovstal & # 187; to the territory under his control, said the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
And Irina Vereshchuk said that she hoped for the exchange of wounded Ukrainian soldiers after their recovery for Russian prisoners of war.
What plans does the Kremlin have — unclear. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that the servicemen would be treated in accordance with international laws, but he refused to answer the question whether those who surrendered from & # 171; Azovstal & # 187; prisoners of war or war criminals, redirecting this question to the military.
Later, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said that «Nazi criminals», as the members of the Ukrainian regiment «Azov» , who held the defense on the territory of the plant & # 171; Azovstal & # 187;, should not be exchanged for captured Russians. He demanded that the deputies prepare an appropriate resolution.
The acting head of the LDPR Duma faction, Leonid Slutsky, proposed making an exception for the Ukrainian military from the moratorium on the death penalty in Russia.