Evacuation_Asovstal

 source: Der Spiegel May 16, 2022, 11:49 p.m

translation: Google ranslate/doxa - louise

Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters can leave Azov steelworks

They remained entrenched for weeks – under catastrophic conditions: now around 260 Ukrainian soldiers have been evacuated from the embattled steel works in Mariupol. Buses brought them from the site.

Wounded being transported from the steelworks Photo: ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO / REUTERS

Most recently, there had been reports of a possible Russian firebomb attack  : the fate of the last Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol had repeatedly made the headlines in recent weeks.

Instead of the feared Russian storm, a good 260 Ukrainian soldiers have now left the Azov steelworks in the port city after weeks of blockade, according to  authorities.

Among them were 53 seriously injured, said the Ukrainian general staff on Facebook on Monday . In addition, 211 other Ukrainian fighters were brought to the town of Olenivka, occupied by Russian troops. They are said to be returned later in a prisoner exchange. The seriously injured were transported to the city of Novoazovsk. The evacuation of the other defenders of the steelworks is still being worked on.

"Thanks to the Mariupol defenders, we got critically important time to form reserves, redeploy forces and receive help from our partners," Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar wrote on Facebook.

All tasks to defend Mariupol have been completed. Fighting free of the work was not possible. The most important thing now is to save the lives of the Mariupol defenders. The general staff announced that they also wanted to save the other defenders on the premises.

The Azov Steelworks is the last bastion of the Ukrainian army in the strategically important city. In the past few weeks, hundreds of civilians have been brought to safety from the huge industrial complex. However, hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers continued to hold out there. According to Ukrainian information, there were still around 1,000, including 600 injured.

Assault was not risked

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized in his daily video address that Ukraine needs its heroes from Mariupol alive. The port city was surrounded shortly after the Russian invasion in February. Russian troops gradually took control, but the city's last Ukrainian defenders holed up in the plant's multiple 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 injure, and who had hardly any supplies or water left.

At the weekend, several wives of the last fighters described the catastrophic conditions . There is only one glass of water per person per day, said one of the women in an interview quoted by the Ukrainian media. She and the others demanded the evacuation of all entrenched fighters - first the seriously injured among them. Their situation is "terrible": Some are missing arms or legs, there are hardly any drugs or narcotics. 

jok/dpa