Moscow and kyiv remained silent on Tuesday about Ukrainian fighters remaining confined in bunkers at the Azovstal metallurgical complex in Mariupol, a day after the evacuation of more than 260 of their comrades.
In a message posted on the Telegram on Tuesday, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said only that her government was working on next steps evacuation, without giving further details. In God’s will, all will be well.
Moscow never said that. In the morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense limited itself to saying thatin the past 24 hours, 265 fighters surrendered and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded .
These figures more or less correspond to those given on Monday by Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Malyar, who reported 53 seriously injured […] evacuated from Azovstal to Novoazovsk for medical assistance and 211 others […] brought to Olenivka through a humanitarian corridor.
Both destinations are on the territory of the self-proclaimed pro-Russian republic of Donetsk, but they must be returned to the territory controlled by Ukraine as part of the exchange proceduresaid Ms. Vereshchuk, without offering additional information.
Unlike Ukraine, however, the Russian Defense Ministry has not discussed a potential prisoner exchange.
A fight that “changed the course of the war”
The number of warriors buried in the underground galleries of the massive Azovstal factory is unknown. Last week, kyiv cited the presence of 1,000 soldiers, including 600 wounded. Hundreds of fighters may still be present.
According to an adviser to President Zelensky, Mykhailo Podolyak, the fierce resistance of these fighters, which lasted nearly three months, made it possible that change the course of the war.
” Because Mariupol was able to restrain the forces of the Russian Federation for 82 days, the operation to occupy the east and south [de l’Ukraine] is delayed. It changed the course of the war. “
Negotiations to evacuate the remaining fighters have been difficult, but there is hope that they will be fulfilled, he added in comments broadcast on Ukrainian television.
Ukrainian general staff also argued on Monday that the resistance in Mariupol prevented the Russian army’s rapid capture of Zaporizhia, 200 km to the northwest, and delayed the transfer of Russian troops to other fields.
” Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes to survive. This is our principle. […] Work continues to bring men home, and it takes delicacy and time. “
What is the fate for the displaced warriors?
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov for his part assured on Tuesday that Ukrainian fighters who surrendered to Russian forces would be treated. in accordance with international rules. However, he declined to say whether they were considered prisoners of war or criminals of war.
However, Russian parliamentarians openly oppose the fact that fighters, including those from the Azov regiment, known for its links to the extreme right, have been handed over to the Ukrainians. The latter was among the last defenders of Mariupol, along with soldiers from the 36th brigade of the national navy.
During a debate in the Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, MP Leonid Slutsky argued that Russia should think carefully to impose the death penalty on fighters in Azov, even if a moratorium on the death penalty is enforced in the country.
They do not deserve to live after the massive crimes against humanity they have committed and continue to commit against our prisoners.argument of Mr. Slutsky, who was part of the Russian group that participated in the peace negotiations with Ukraine.
Not to mention the Mariupol case in particular, Duma spokesman Vyacheslav Volodin also confirmed in his Telegram account that Nazi criminals should not undergo a prisoner exchange.
As for the Nazis, our position must remain unchanged: they are war criminals, and we must do everything we can to bring them to justice.he said.
Shelling in the Donbass north of kyiv
According to Ukrainian authorities, the entire front line in Donbass continued to undergo intensive bombing on Tuesday, especially around the neighboring towns of Sievierodonetsk and Lyssytchansk.
The Ukrainian General Staff further says that Russian forces are strengthening and preparing to relaunch their offensive near Sloviansk and Drobysheve, southeast of the strategic city of Izium.
Elsewhere in the country, 8 people were killed and 12 others injured in a Russian strike in Desna, a Ukrainian village about sixty kilometers north of kyiv, according to a report provided by emergency services. Desna is known to have a large military training camp.
In the morning, the governor of the region, Viatchaslav Tchaous reported on Telegram messaging of the dead and injured in missile strike Russian against Desna.
The war is not over, the war has not left the region, the war has not left our cities added Mr. Tchaous, that the region was partially bombed by Russian troops at the start of the war, before they retreated.
Another Russian attack on Tuesday morning hit a Ukrainian military base in the Lviv region (west) located just five kilometers from the Polish border, according to regional governor Maxim Kozitsky.
The Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Calibr sea-to-surface missiles hit the Starytchi station, near this base in the Yavoriv district, elimination of training reserves as well as foreign weapons and military equipment from the United States and European countries to be sent to the Donbass.
The ministry also confirmed the strike in Desna and another training camp in Okhtyrka, in the Sumy region in the north of the country. According to the governor of the Sumy region, Dmytro Zhyvytsky, made this latest strike at least five were injured.
There has been no such intense and massive bombing since the beginning of the war he told the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, saying he saw activity increased Russian aviation, helicopters in recent days.
Source: Radio-Canada
