Kyiv, Ukraine –
The regiment, which has stubbornly defended the steel plant as Ukraine’s last stronghold in the port city of Mariupol, announced its mission was completed on Monday after more than 260 fighters, including some seriously wounded, were evacuated and taken to Russian-controlled areas.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the evacuation of separatist-held territory was carried out to save the lives of fighters who endured weeks of Russian attacks in a maze of underground passages under the huge Azovstal steel plant. He said the “seriously injured” were receiving medical treatment.
“Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes to be alive. This is our principle,” he said.
Defenders of the steel plant have escaped as Moscow suffered another diplomatic setback in its war with Ukraine, with Sweden joining Finland in deciding to seek NATO membership. And Ukraine made a symbolic profit when its forces pushed Russian troops back to the Russian border in the Kharkiv region.
However, Russian forces hit targets in the industrial center of eastern Ukraine, known as Donbass, and the death toll, already thousands, continued to rise with the war, which will enter the 12th week on Wednesday.
Deputy Defense Minister Hana Malyar said 53 severely wounded fighters had been taken from the Azovstal plant to a hospital in Novoazovsk, east of Mariupol. An additional 211 fighters were evacuated to Olenivka through a humanitarian corridor.
She said an exchange would be worked out for their return home as efforts continued to rescue the remaining fighters inside.
“The work of bringing the boys home continues and requires delicacy and time,” Zelenski said.
Ahead of Monday’s evacuation of the steel plant, Russia’s defense ministry announced an agreement for the wounded to leave the treatment plant in a city run by pro-Moscow separatists. There was no immediate information on whether the wounded would be considered prisoners of war.
After Monday night, several buses pulled away from the steel plant, accompanied by Russian military vehicles. Maliar later confirmed that the evacuation had taken place.
“Thanks to the defenders of Mariupol, Ukraine has gained crucial time to form reserves and regroup forces and receive assistance from partners,” she said. “And they did all their work. But it is impossible to unblock Azovstal by military means. “
The commander of the Azov Regiment, who led the plant’s defense, said in a pre-recorded video message released Monday that the evacuation marks the end of the regiment’s mission.
“Absolutely safe plans and operations do not exist during a war,” said Lt. Col. Denis Prokopenko, adding that all risks had been taken into account and part of the plan included saving “as many lives as possible.”
Elsewhere, Russian forces hit targets in the industrial center of eastern Ukraine, known as Donbass, and the death toll, already thousands, continued to rise.
The eastern city of Siverdonetsk has come under heavy fire, killing at least 10 people, Luhansk Oblast Governor Sergei Haidai said. In the Donetsk region, Governor Pavlo Kirilenko announced on Facebook that nine civilians had been killed in the shelling.
The western Ukrainian city of Lviv was rocked by powerful explosions early Tuesday. Witnesses counted at least eight explosions, accompanied by distant thunder, and the smell of burns was felt some time later. An Associated Press team in Lviv, which was under curfew at night, said the sky west of the city was illuminated by an orange glow.
But Ukrainian troops have also advanced as Russian forces withdraw from the northeastern city of Kharkiv in recent days. Zelensky thanked the soldiers, who reportedly pushed them all the way to the Russian border in the Kharkiv region.
The video shows Ukrainian soldiers wearing a post resembling a Ukrainian border marker in blue and yellow stripes. He was then placed on the ground while a dozen soldiers posed next to him, including one with bullet belts draped over his shoulder.
“I am very grateful to you on behalf of all Ukrainians, on my behalf and on behalf of my family,” Zelensky said in a video message. “I’m very grateful to all the fighters like you.”
The Ukrainian Border Service said the video, which shows the soldiers from the border “in the Kharkiv region”, but declined to give details, citing security reasons. It was not possible to immediately verify the exact location.
Ukrainian border guards said they had also stopped an attempt by Russia to send sabotage and reconnaissance troops to the Sumy region, about 90 miles (146 kilometers) northwest of Kharkiv.
Russia is tormented by failures in the war, most notably by its failure to conquer the capital Kyiv in the beginning. Much of the fighting has moved to Donbass, but it has also become a slogan, with both sides fighting village by village.
Howitzers from the United States and other countries have helped Kyiv hold on or win positions against Russia, a senior U.S. defense official said. An official who asked for anonymity to discuss the US military assessment said Ukraine had pushed Russian forces half a mile to 2.5 miles (1 to 4 kilometers) from the Russian border, but could not confirm whether it had been to the end. to the border.
The official said Russia’s long-range strikes appeared to be aimed at a Ukrainian military training center in Yavoriv, near the Polish border. There are no immediate reports of casualties.
The international response to the Russian invasion has gained momentum.
Sweden’s decision to seek NATO membership followed a similar decision by neighboring Finland in a historic change for countries that have been unbound for generations.
Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Anderson said her country would be in a “vulnerable position” during the application period and called on her fellow citizens to prepare.
“Russia has said it will take countermeasures if we join NATO,” she said. “We cannot rule out that Sweden will be exposed, for example, to misinformation and attempts to intimidate and divide us.”
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a NATO member, has objected to their accession. He accused the countries of failing to take a “clear” stance against Kurdish extremists and other groups that Ankara considers terrorists, and of imposing military sanctions on Turkey.
He said Swedish and Finnish officials expected in Turkey next week should not bother to come if they intend to try to persuade Turkey to drop its objection.
“How can we trust them?” Erdogan asked at a joint news conference with the visiting president of Algeria.
All 30 current NATO members must agree to allow the northern neighbors to join.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow “has no problem” with Sweden or Finland as they apply for NATO membership, but that “expanding the military infrastructure in that territory will, of course, provoke our response.”
Putin launched the invasion on February 24 in what he said was an attempt to halt NATO enlargement, but saw the strategy backfire. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the membership process could be quick for both.
Europe is also working to stifle funding for the Kremlin’s war by cutting billions of dollars it spends on Russian energy imports. The proposed EU embargo is facing resistance from some countries dependent on Russian imports, including Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Bulgaria also has reserves.
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McQueen reported from Lviv, Ukraine. Juras Karmanau in Lviv, Mstislav Chernov and Andrea Rosa in Kharkov, Elena Bekatoros in Odessa and other AP employees around the world.
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