Ministry of Defense Spokesperson RussiaGeneral Igor Konashenkov announced on May 18 that a total of 959 Ukrainian soldiers, including 80 wounded, had laid down their weapons and surrendered since May 16. He said that 51 of those injured were taken to a hospital in Novoazovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).
According to Konashenkov, in the last 24 hours alone, 694 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered in Azovstal. DPR also gives similar numbers. Ukraine has not yet commented on this information. Photos released by the media over the past few days show vehicles carrying Ukrainian soldiers leaving the Azovstal factory for towns controlled by pro-Russian separatists, under the supervision of Russian forces.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Zelensky said that the country is still continuing with Russia on the negotiation process on the evacuation of the last soldiers from the Azovsta steel plant. The Ukrainian side is planning to exchange Russian prisoners for seriously wounded soldiers.
Earlier on May 17, the Ukrainian military command announced that the mission to protect the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol had ended and pledged to rescue those still trapped inside.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: Soha.vn – Read the original article here
