The soldiers were evacuated to Novoazovsk and Olenivka, two localities in territory controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces, in order to be later “exchanged”, according to a deputyUkrainian Defense Minister.
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They had been under siege for weeks. More than 260 Ukrainian fighters, including 53 injured, were evacuated from the steelworksAzovstalto Mariupol, reported Monday, May 16 a Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense. This announcement comes a few hours after the announcement of a truce by the Russian Minister of Defense.
Near 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, including 600 wounded, were entrenched in the maze of underground passages of this industrial site, the last pocket of resistance in the strategic port. The soldiers were evacuated to Novoazovsk and Olenivka, two localities being in territory controlled by Russian and pro-Russian forces, in order to be later “trades”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke about his facebook page shortly after this announcement. “Ukrainian heroes need a living Ukraine”, he said. “Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military … we hope to be able to save the lives of our guys.”