Russian Defense Ministry: 265 Ukrainian soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant surrender

Screenshot of a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry on May 17, 2022, showing Ukrainian servicemen being checked by Russian forces after leaving the Azovstal steel plant in the city of Mariupol – Photo: AFP/Russian Defense Ministry

“In the past 24 hours, 265 (Ukrainian) soldiers have laid down their weapons and surrendered. Of these, 51 are seriously injured,” – the Russian Defense Ministry announced on May 17.

The ministry added that soldiers who needed medical attention had been transferred to a hospital in the town of Novoazovsk.

Asked by reporters whether Russia would consider these Ukrainian soldiers to be war criminals or prisoners of war, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman did not give a clear answer.

“Putin guarantees that they will be treated in accordance with relevant international laws,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Earlier, late on May 16, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said about 260 Ukrainian soldiers, including dozens of seriously injured, had been taken to the territory controlled by Russia. By the morning of May 17, they said “an exchange procedure will be carried out to repatriate these Ukrainian heroes as quickly as possible”.

Speaking on May 17, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said: “Once the condition of these soldiers is stabilized, we will exchange them and Russian prisoners.”

It is not clear how many Ukrainian troops are still entrenched inside the Azovstal steel plant. The Ukrainian military said that it has now ended its combat mission in the strategic city of Mariupol.

According to the newspaper New York TimesIn recent weeks, the Azovstal steel plant and its network of underground tunnels have become shelters for about 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, as Russia tries to control the city of Mariupol.