The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that 959 Ukrainian soldiers, hod up at the Azovstal steel site in Mariupol, have surrendered since Monday.
In the past 24 hours, 694 fighters, including 29 wounded, have surrendered. Since May 16, 959 fighters, including 80 wounded, have become prisonerssaid the ministry in a statement.
According to the same source, 51 of them were hospitalized in Novoazovsk, a locality under the control of the Russians and their separatist allies.
The Ministry did not give an indication of what fate was in store for these prisoners, while Russian authorities have repeatedly indicated that they do not consider at least some of them soldiers, but as soldiers. neo-Nazis and warriors.
The Ukrainian authorities have not yet declared themselves whether they want to arrange an exchange of prisoners of war.
These Ukrainian soldiers are buried in the underground galleries of large steel works Azovstal, which became an international symbol of resistance to the Russian offensive launched on February 24th.
The strategic port of Mariupol where the industrial area is located was completely devastated by the fighting.
Source: Radio-Canada
