War against Ukraine: More than 260 soldiers evacuated from steel mill

According to Ukrainian sources, more than 260 soldiers have been evacuated from the besieged Azov steelworks in Mariupol. Among them are 53 seriously injured. Many of the soldiers are to return in a prisoner exchange.

After weeks of blockade, around 260 Ukrainian soldiers have left the Azov steelworks in Mariupol, according to the authorities. Among them were 53 seriously injured, said the Ukrainian general staff on Facebook. 211 other Ukrainian fighters were also brought to the town of Olenivka, which was occupied by Russian troops. They are said to return later in a prisoner exchange.

The seriously injured were transported to the city of Novoazovsk. The evacuation of the other defenders of the Azowstal steelworks is still being worked on. “Thanks to the Mariupol defenders, we got critically important time to form reserves, redeploy forces and get help from our partners,” Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Facebook.

Zelenskyj: The heroes need them alive

All tasks to defend Mariupol have been completed. It was not possible for Azowstal to fight free. The most important thing now is to save the lives of the Mariupol defenders.

The Russian Defense Ministry earlier on Monday announced a ceasefire in Mariupol to get injured Ukrainian soldiers out of the steelworks. Moscow had named “medical facilities” in Novoazovsk as the target of the evacuation campaign.

“We hope that we can save the lives of our boys,” said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a video message. “I would like to underline: Ukraine needs its Ukrainian heroes alive. That is our principle.”

Long negotiations about evacuation

The port city of Mariupol was surrounded shortly after the Russian invasion in February. Russian troops gradually took control, but the last Ukrainian defenders of the city holed up in the huge steel works with several underground floors.

The Russian troops did not risk any storming attempts, but blocked all accesses. Hundreds of civilians had already been evacuated from the factory premises in the past few days. There were long negotiations about the withdrawal of the soldiers, some of whom were seriously injured, and who had hardly any supplies or water left.