19 May 2022, Thursday, 13:27 329

RF Claims That Over 1,700 Ukrainian Military Left Azovstal, But There Are Still People Inside

Редактор: Daria Zubkova

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 771 Ukrainian servicemen left the Azovstal plant in Mariupol on May 18.

This is stated in the Telegram channel of the authority.

The source reports that on May 16, a total of 1,730 soldiers surrendered, including 80 wounded.

The Russian Defense Ministry clarifies that the wounded and in need of treatment Ukrainian soldiers from Azovstal are being taken not only to Novoazovsk, but also to Donetsk.

In addition, Denis Pushilin, the head of the DPR group, claims that Ukrainian military personnel still remain at the plant and the exit process has not been completed.

As Ukrainian News Agency reported, the Patrol Police Department said that the process for exchanging Mariupol defenders is not yet ready.

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that almost a thousand Ukrainian fighters left the blocked Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

A video of how the Azov wounded defenders are being searched has got into social networks.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that the defenders of Mariupol followed the order and held back the Russian invaders for almost 2 months, and now they are following the order to save their lives.

Ukrainian military are planned to be exchanged for captured Russian soldiers. Reintegration Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said the exchange would take place after the condition of the wounded improved.

The DPR group claims that the Ukrainian military is being interrogated in a pre-trial detention center.

On May 16, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar reported that 53 seriously wounded fighters from Azovstal were evacuated to the hospital in the occupied Novoazvosk, and another 211 were taken through the humanitarian corridor to the occupied Olenivka.

Earlier, the commander of the Azov regiment, Denys Prokopenko, said that they had completed the task, and that it was important to save the lives of the military.

On May 12, the Russian side rejected Turkey's proposals to evacuate the defenders of Mariupol, Donetsk region, who are at the Azovstal plant.

Meanwhile, analysts have named a possible reason why the Kremlin agreed to the evacuation from Azovstal.