After weeks of fierce fighting, Mariupol finally seems to have fallen into the hands of the Russian army. After finally holding only the area around the Azov-Stahl steel plant, the government in Kiev has now ordered the end of the defence.
Soldiers of the ultra-nationalist Azov regiment may have remained in the complex until the last minute – however, in recent days there have been reports of more and more fighters who have surrendered to the Russian army – as many as 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered from the factory, according to a Russian media report.
Corpses are brought out of the facility
The Ukrainian army is now ordering the remaining soldiers to leave the city’s defenses. “The higher military command gave the order to save the lives of the soldiers of our garrison,” Azov commander Denys Prokopenko said in a video. Work is underway to remove the bodies of killed combatants from the facility.
Resistance greatly weakened Russians
However, Ukraine’s bitter resistance in Mariupol does not appear to have been entirely in vain: Ukrainian resistance in the port city had ultimately weakened Russian forces enormously, a British Defense Ministry report showed Friday morning.
According to estimates by British intelligence, Moscow now risks further wear and tear of its armed forces around the Donbass.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
