(Kyiv) The last Ukrainian fighters entrenched in Mariupol in the Azovstal steel plant announced on Monday that they had “carried out the order” of the Ukrainian Supreme Command “in order to save lives”, seeming to signal that they were preparing to leave this site besieged by the Russian army for several weeks.
Posted at 5:10 p.m.
“In order to save lives, the entire Mariupol garrison has carried out the order approved by the military command and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people,” said the Azov regiment in a message posted on social networks. defense of this site.
“For 82 days, the defenders of Mariupol carried out orders despite the difficulties, pushed back the overwhelming forces of the enemy and allowed the Ukrainian army to regroup, train more personnel and receive large numbers weapons from partner countries,” the statement added, without specifying the content of the orders received.
Denys Prokopenko, one of the commanders of the Azov regiment in Mariupol, told him in a video that “there is always a risk, there is no completely safe plan and operation during the war”.
However, he also did not detail the operation in question.
Photo ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO, REUTERS
According to the Ukrainian authorities, some 1,000 soldiers, including 600 wounded, are still in the steelworks.
Ukrainian authorities remained silent on Monday evening, but this video was released hours after Russia announced a truce in Azovstal to evacuate wounded Ukrainians.
“A regime of silence (of weapons) is currently in effect and an open humanitarian corridor through which wounded Ukrainian soldiers are transferred to medical establishments in Novoazovsk”, in territory controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces, the ministry announced in a statement. communicated.
According to this press release, it is the result of negotiations with the Ukrainian fighters themselves, who are entrenched in a maze of underground passages in this gigantic industrial site.
It does not specify how many people need to be evacuated. According to the Ukrainian authorities, some 1,000 soldiers, including 600 wounded, are still there.
Women, children and the elderly who had taken refuge on the site were all evacuated at the end of April, thanks to an operation coordinated by the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The strategic port city of Mariupol has been totally devastated since the Russian offensive launched on February 24 against Ukraine. Several hundred Ukrainian fighters had entrenched themselves in the Azovstal steelworks, a huge steel complex.