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The Azov Regiment of Ukraine said today that the military command has given the order to stop the protection of the besieged metallurgical plant of Mariupol.
The formidable far-right battalion, along with the Ukrainian Navy, has been trapped in Azovstal’s extensive tunnel system for almost three months.
Today’s reports said that the commanders ordered the cessation of the resistance in order to “save the lives of the soldiers”, writes the British daily Metro.
The development comes shortly after reports that more than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers at the plant had surrendered to Russian forces.
Dozens of civilians have also been evacuated from the plant since the beginning of the month, with the help of the Red Cross, but some have remained inside refusing to surrender.
A video statement today of the Azov regiment commander said that among those evacuated from the plant tunnels were civilians and soldiers seriously injured.
“We have consistently stressed the three most important conditions for us: civilians, the wounded and the dead,” said Commander Denys Prokopenko.
“Civilians have been evacuated, the wounded are receiving the necessary assistance and are being evacuated by the Russians, to be repatriated later and returned to Ukrainian-controlled territory,” he added.
Prokopenko added that the process of removing the dead from the Azovstal plant is still ongoing.
“We hope that in the future their relatives will be able to bury the soldiers with honor.”
The metallurgical plant has an extensive labyrinth of underground tunnels that have been turned into the last bastion of the Ukrainian army in Mariupol. Russia says it has US-funded biological laboratories, but Ukraine denies the allegations.
The port of Mariupol is a major connecting point between the Crimean peninsula and eastern Ukraine.
The Azov Battalion has taken the city by war from pro-Russian officials since the 2014 change of power and annexation of Crimea.
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