Azov militants announce secret “operation” at steel mill
Russia recently announced that more than 1,700 Ukrainian fighters had surrendered from the Azov steelworks. Now a commander of the Azov regiment has spoken up – and spoken of a secret plan.
According to their own statements, the commanders of the last military resistance of Ukraine in Mariupol are still in the Azovstal Steel Plant. Ukrainian media on Thursday circulated a video showing the deputy commander of the Azov regiment Svyatoslav Palamar. “I and the command are at the Azovstal plant. There is a certain operation going on, the details of which I will not say anything. We thank the whole world, we thank Ukraine,” said Palamar.
The authenticity of the video could not be checked immediately, and it was widely discussed in the Ukrainian media. Representatives of the Ukrainian government, such as the adviser to the Ukrainian Minister of the Interior, also spread the word.
Russian parliament questions prisoner swap
According to Russian information, however, other fighters from the steel mill have surrendered. Moscow announced on Thursday that more than 770 Ukrainians had been arrested on the Azovstal site within 24 hours. Since the beginning of the week, 1,730 Ukrainian fighters have surrendered. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had registered several hundred fighters from the plant who are now prisoners of war.
What happens to them is just as unclear as the number of people who are actually still holed up in the steel mill. Initially, there was no information from the Ukrainian side. Kyiv hopes that Moscow will agree to a prisoner swap. However, Russian officials have repeatedly emphasized that they want to distinguish between members of the Azov regiment and other Ukrainian soldiers. A ban on the exchange of Azov fighters was also discussed by the Moscow parliament.
Russian troops attacked the port city of Mariupol in early March and conquered it in weeks of fighting – except for the Azovstal steelworks. The complete capture of Mariupol would be a strategic success for Moscow. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, fierce resistance in the port city has significantly slowed the advance of Russian forces towards the large city of Zaporizhia, which is still in Ukrainian hands.
