A total of 264 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated this Monday (05.16.2022) from the Azovstal steelworks, in the town of Mariupol, in the east of the country, reported the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, which was thanked by President Volodímir Zelenski when pointing out that his country needs “living heroes”.
Of the total, 53 seriously injured were evacuated to a medical center in Novoazovsk for medical treatment, and the other 211 people were taken to Olenivka through the humanitarian corridor, the ministry added in a statement.
“As for the defenders who still remain in the Azovstal territory, rescue efforts are being carried out thanks to the joint efforts” of the GUR of the Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces, the National Guard and the Guard Service of Borders, he added.
“Thanks to the defenders of Mariupol, we have gained critical time to form reserves, regroup forces and receive assistance from partners,” explained the Defense Ministry, which admitted that it unfortunately cannot unblock Azovstal by military means.
“The most important common task of the whole of Ukraine and the whole world is to save the lives of the defenders of Mariupol,” he said.
The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenski, thanked in his usual nightly speech “the actions of the Ukrainian army”, adding that he hopes that “the life of the negotiating team, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations can be saved. Among they are the seriously injured, they are being treated “.
Ukrainian heroes alive
In addition, he wanted to emphasize that “Ukraine needs living Ukrainian heroes. This is our principle. I believe that every suitable person will understand these words.”
“The operation to rescue the defenders of Mariupol was launched by our military and spies. To bring the children home, the work continues and requires delicacy and time,” Zelensky added.
The Deputy Prime Minister for the Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, Iryna Vereschuk, said last week that between 500 and 600 soldiers were wounded in the steelworks, but that the parties were currently negotiating the evacuation of the “most serious “, which she estimated at 38 people.
The Russian Ministry of Defense had already informed Moscow on Monday of an agreement to evacuate Ukrainian fighters wounded at the Azovstal steel mill.
“On May 16, as a result of negotiations with the representatives of the Ukrainian military blocked in the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant, an agreement was reached for the evacuation of the wounded,” said a Defense statement without specifying the number.
It added that a ceasefire has now been established in the area and a humanitarian corridor has been opened through which wounded soldiers are taken out and “transferred to a medical center in Novoazovsk in the Donetsk People’s Republic, where they will be given all necessary assistance.
mg (efe, AP)