The Ukrainian military leadership gave the order to abandon the defense of the port city of Mariupol, After almost three months of resistance to the Russian offensive that has devastated the port city in the southeast of the country, the commander of the Azov Regiment, Denis Prokopenko, said on Friday.
“Glory to Ukraine! 86 days of defense of Mariupol. The higher military command has given the order to preserve the life and health of the soldiers of the garrison and stop defending the city“, said the commander in a video message posted on Telegram and collected by the Ukrinform and Unian agencies.
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The Russian siege of this strategic town, located on the shores of the Sea of Azov, has led to numerous accusations of war crimes, including an attack on a maternity hospital.
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing soldiers leaving the plant, some on crutches, after weeks of siege.
The commander of the Ukrainian Azov battalion stated that despite heavy fighting, unrelenting defense and lack of supplies, they always insisted on three important conditions for the regiment regarding civilians, the wounded and the dead.
“Civilians were able to be evacuated, the seriously injured received the necessary assistance and were able to be evacuated and then exchanged and taken to Ukrainian-controlled territory. As for the dead heroes, the process continues,” he said.
At the same time, he expressed hope that the bodies of the defenders killed at the Azovstal steelworks will be handed over and “soon the relatives and the whole of Ukraine will be able to bury their heroes with honors.”
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Ukraine wants to exchange Azovstal soldiers for Russian prisonersbut pro-Russian authorities in the Donetsk region said some could face trial.
“We hope that […] All prisoners of war are treated in accordance with the Geneva Conventions and the laws of war,” US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby said.
In Ukraine, the first Russian military officer to be tried for war crimes has asked “forgiveness” in a kyiv court, detailing how he killed a civilian at the start of the Russian invasion nearly three months ago. The verdict should be pronounced on May 23.
“I’m really sorry,” said 21-year-old Vadim Shishimarin.
Russia will rebuild the areas it has conquered
Besides, Russia announced this Friday that it has a reconstruction plan for the Ukrainian territories that were affected for military actions that are under the control of Russian troops.
“We already have the reconstruction work schedule. We have created a special cabinet, in which all the interested organizations participate,” said Russian Deputy Prime Minister Marat Jusnulin, quoted by the Interfax agency, during a working visit to Kazan, the capital. of the Russian Republic of Tatarstan.
He added that in those Ukrainian territories there are already specialists to assess the reconstruction work that is required.
(You can see: Ukraine: the G7 plan to recover the country in an accelerated way)
We have prepared a whole series of measures to start up the economy as soon as possible
“The first specialists are already there. That is, the work is already underway. We will rebuild all the roads, the destroyed houses,” Jusnulin stressed.
The deputy prime minister added that a second package of measures has been drawn up with the purpose of recovering the economy.
“We have prepared a whole series of measures to start up the economy as soon as possible and adjust the financial system,” he said, admitting that there are many problems related to agriculture.
According to Jusnulin, the task is “to return these territories to normal economic life as soon as possible.”
AFP and EFE
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