Free Republic

Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters trapped for more than two months in the vast Azovstal steel works have surrendered to their Russian besiegers after their commanders finally called time on the defense of Mariupol. A total of 264 soldiers, 53 of them badly wounded, were taken in a convoy of buses to two towns held by Russian-backed rebels in the Donetsk area, Ukrainian officials said Tuesday. It is unclear how many more are left in the steelworks, where as many as 1,000 fighters had been holed up in a network of underground tunnels and caverns in a medieval siege. (snip) Russia...

Former representative of Ukraine in the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG; Ukraine - Russia - OSCE) on the implementation of the peace plan in the East of Ukraine, journalist Serhii Harmash has criticized the Ukrainian authorities and the media. According to him, they are trying to file as a victory the forced surrender of Azov. Harmash wrote about this on his Facebook page. "On Mariupol. I unequivocally positively assess the fact of the evacuation of our wounded from Azovstal. I understand and support if other defenders of Mariupol leave Azovstal after the wounded. They did everything they could. They have already...

On Monday, May 16, some of the defenders of the azovstal iron and steel works were taken to the temporarily occupied territory of Donetsk region. Subsequently, they will be exchanged for prisoners of the Russian invaders. This information was confirmed by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during a video message to the Ukrainian people (to view it, scroll to the end of the page). Among the soldiers there are seriously wounded, they are receiving medical assistance. "Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, as well as the negotiation group, the International Committee...

Ukrainian troops in Mariupol are taking ammunition off of Russian troops and smuggling in weapons to resupply and hold out against the Russian assault. Western officials in a briefing to reporters Tuesday said there is evidence of Ukrainian troops in Mariupol smuggling weapons into encircled areas for reinforcement as additional Russian troops close in. "Ukrainian forces, though remarkably adept at smuggling weapons into areas which are encircled, they are also largely being able to resupply their fighters by taking weapons, ammunition, off Russian soldiers in the city itself," Western officials told reporters in a briefing.