At least seven buses with Ukrainian servicemen left the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, accompanied by pro-Russian armed forces, writes Reuters, citing a witness to the removal of the military.
Not all the soldiers on the buses looked injured, a source told Reuters. The agency also released a photograph of a convoy of buses escorted by Z armored vehicles. The photo’s caption says it was taken on May 17.
On the removal of Ukrainian military personnel from Azovstal reported RIA News. The agency noted that a few hours before the start of the movement of buses in the area of the plant, no shots and explosions were heard.
Videos bus columns published Russian telegram channel Shot.
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Investigative Committee of Russia informed on the evening of May 17 about plans to interrogate the servicemen of the Azov regiment, who were taken from Azovstal to the territory controlled by the Russian military. Also SC told about the interrogation of an unnamed “British mercenary”. According to the investigators, his testimony should show Kyiv’s guilt in the “provocation organized by the Ukrainian regime” in Bucha.
Earlier, calls were made in the State Duma not to transfer the fighters of the banned Azov to Ukraine, and on May 18, deputies will consider a draft resolution prohibiting the “exchange of Nazi criminals.”
Also on May 17, it became known that the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia applied to the Supreme Court to recognize the Ukrainian Azov Regiment as a terrorist organization and ban its activities in the country.
The day before, Reuters reported that about a dozen buses left Azovstal, in which, presumably, there were Ukrainian soldiers. It was impossible to estimate the number of people inside, according to the agency. The Russian state channel RT reported that “about 300 militants” left the factory, including about 50 wounded.
On the afternoon of May 16, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that after negotiations with representatives of the Ukrainian military blocked on the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol, an agreement was reached on the removal of the wounded. The Ukrainian authorities did not comment on this statement.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky later noted: “Thanks to the actions of the Ukrainian military – the Armed Forces of Ukraine, intelligence, as well as the negotiating group, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the UN – we hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys. I want to emphasize that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive. This is our principle. I think that every adequate person will understand these words.”
On May 17, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported about 265 “surrendered militants” from Azovstal. Whether the Russian side will carry out their exchange, the military did not say.
