Ukraine war: 700 more steelworks defenders surrender to Russia, but Kyiv vows ‘unbreakable’ spirit
- Russia said 1,730 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered from the Azovstal steel plant, while the Red Cross said it registered hundreds of them as prisoners of war
- An adviser to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky says that the country will not accept any ceasefire until all the Russian troops pull back
The Russian military said on Thursday that more Ukrainian fighters who were making a last stand in Mariupol have surrendered, bringing the total who left their stronghold to 1,730, while the Red Cross said it registered hundreds of them as prisoners of war.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said the registrations of Ukrainian prisoners of war, which included wounded fighters, began on Tuesday under an agreement between Russia and Ukraine.
The Geneva-based humanitarian agency, which has experience in dealing with prisoners of war and prisoner exchanges, said however that its team did not transport the fighters to “the places where they are held” – which was not specified.
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Ukrainian soldiers surrender besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to Russia
Ukrainian fighters who emerged from the ruined Azovstal steelworks after being ordered by their military to abandon the last stronghold of resistance in the now-flattened port city face an uncertain fate. Some were taken by the Russians to a former penal colony in territory controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
Ukraine, which says it aims to secure a prisoner swap, has declined to say how many were inside the plant or comment on the fate of the rest since confirming that just over 250 had surrendered in the initial hours after it ordered them to yield.
It’s also not clear how many fighters are left at the plant. Russia previously estimated that it had been battling some 2,000 troops in the waterside plant.
The plant was the only thing standing in the way of Russia declaring the full capture of Mariupol. Its fall would make Mariupol the biggest Ukrainian city to be taken by Moscow’s forces, giving a boost to Putin in a war where many of his plans have gone awry.
