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Two senior commanders of the fighters defending the Azovstal steel plant located in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol have been sent to Russia for investigation. The news was announced on Sunday by the Russian State News Agency, TASS.
The fate of hundreds of fighters captured by Russian forces in May, following a month-long siege of Mariupol, remains unclear. Moscow said at the time that they had relocated to areas controlled by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
Citing an unidentified Russian source in the law enforcement agencies, the TASS news agency reported late Saturday evening that Svyatoslav Palamar, acting deputy commander of the Azov Battalion, and Serhiy Volynsky, commander of the 36th Naval Forces Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, were sent to Russia.
Referring to the same source, TASS said that the two Ukrainian servicemen had been transferred by special forces officers from Donetsk to Russia, in order to conduct investigations. According to the Russian agency, other officers of various Ukrainian units were also sent to Russia.
Reuters could not immediately verify the report and Kiev has not yet commented on the matter. Earlier this month, Ukraine said its intelligence services were in contact with fighters captured at the Azovstal steel plant.
The Azov Battalion is a military infantry unit that operates entirely on a voluntary basis. It was created in 2014 as a far-right volunteer militia to fight Russian-backed separatists. This battalion, together with the unit of the 36th Navy Brigade, were key in defending the steel plant.
Kiev is demanding the surrender of all fighters in an exchange of prisoners with Moscow, but some Russian lawmakers want some of the fighters to face trial. Russian agencies reported in early June that more than 1,000 Azov Battalion fighters had been sent to Russia for investigation, but gave no details on where.
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