The bloodiest battle in Ukraine, in Mariupolended on Tuesday, long after the leveling of the city itself, as the wounded Ukrainian soldiers who had taken refuge in the Azovstal steel plant were transported to Russian territory by buses bearing the Russian war emblem “Z”, while their comrades who remained in The New York Times reports that they were ordered to leave the fight.
Ukraine’s decision to end fighting at steel plant after 83 days gives Moscow full control of a large area of southern Ukraine, stretching from the Russian border to Crimea, the American newspaper emphasizes.
“The 83 days of defense of Mariupol will remain in history as the Thermopylae of the XXI century. “Azovstal’s defenders thwarted the Russians ‘plan to occupy eastern Ukraine, boomeranged them and proved the Russians’ true ‘fighting ability… This completely changed the course of the war.’ commented on Twitter the adviser to the president Zelensky negotiator Michael Pontoliak.
It is recalled that the strategically important port city has been a target of Russian invading forces since the first day of the war.
83 days of Mariupol defense will go down in history as the Thermopylae of the XXI century. “Azovstal” defenders ruined 🇷🇺’s plan to capture the east of., Took a hit on themselves and proved the real “combat capability” of…… This completely changed the course of the war.
– Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) May 17, 2022
“Ukraine needs the living “Ukrainian heroes”, the President of Ukraine pointed out last night Volodymyr Zelensky confirming that the evacuation of the Ukrainian defenders of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol had begun.
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday that an agreement had been reached to remove wounded Ukrainian troops from the steel plant and opened a humanitarian corridor for that purpose.
The Russian ministry added that a ceasefire had been decided in the vicinity of the plant and that a humanitarian corridor had been opened to allow the wounded Ukrainian soldiers to be transported to a medical unit in the “Donetsk People’s Republic”.
THE Ukrainian side announced that 53 severely wounded Ukrainian soldiers were transported on May 16 from the Azovstal plant in Donetsk, while another 211 Ukrainian soldiers were removed from the plant via a humanitarian corridor in the town of Gelenovka (also in Donetsk).
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