By Philip Fabian
After staying in the besieged steelworks in Mariupol for several weeks, some with serious injuries, Ukrainian soldiers were bussed away from the Azovstal steelworks on Monday. Clearly recognizable on the buses: a “Z”, the Russian war symbol.
On board: 264 or 265 Ukrainian soldiers (depending on the information) who locked themselves in the tunnels of the steel works for weeks and offered resistance to the overwhelming aggressor.
More than 50 of them are seriously wounded and, according to Russian sources, were taken to Novoazovsk (about 40 kilometers east of Mariupol) for treatment. More than 200 other fighters drove to Olenivka, 50 kilometers north of Mariupol near Donetsk.
Kremlin propaganda is already celebrating the surrender. She says: The fighters have surrendered. They were captured and taken to Russian territory or territory controlled by Putin’s henchmen.
Severely injured Ukrainian soldiers being transported away Photo: ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/REUTERS
The prisoners’ great hope: an exchange with Russian soldiers. At least that’s what the Ukrainian side is hoping for. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj (44) emphasized in his daily video address that Ukraine need their heroes alive.
But: The Russian side does not go into these plans publicly – on the contrary! Here is already the language of an exchange ban – and the death penalty!
The Speaker of the Russian Parliament Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, said during a parliament session that the Ukrainian “Nazi criminals” should not be exchanged for captured Russians. He called on the MPs to prepare a corresponding resolution.
The last Ukrainian fighters were holed up in the bombed-out Azovstal steel works Photo: ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/REUTERS
He demands revenge: “These are war criminals and we must do everything we can to bring them to justice,” Volodin said.
A Russian negotiator goes even further – he calls for the death penalty. The Azov fighters have no right to life, propagated Leonid Slutsky, who Russia negotiated with Ukraine. Russia should consider the death penalty for these nationalist fighters. Slutski: “They don’t deserve to live in the face of the monstrous human rights crimes they have committed and continue to commit against our prisoners.”
The death penalty is not currently being carried out in Russia – but Putin’s confidante and former President Dmitry Medvedev (56) brought the reintroduction into play as early as March.
Defense was not in vain
Ukrainian Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maljar honored the soldiers’ fight in a Facebook post. There was not a word in it about “giving up”. “Thanks to the Mariupol defenders, we got critically important time to form reserves, redeploy forces and receive help from our partners,” she wrote.
All tasks to defend Mariupol have been completed. It was not possible to free Azovstal, she emphasized. The most important thing now is to protect the lives of the Mariupol defenders.
