Azovstal, Donetsk separatists: “International court will judge fighters”

Ukrainian fighters who recently surrendered to the Russians by exiting the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol after a long siege will be tried by an “international court” in the Donetsk region. This was announced by the leader of the pro-Russian separatist Republic of Donetsk, Denis Pushilin, to the Interfax agency. “The court regulations are currently being drafted,” he added without providing further details.

Citing another source, Interfax itself reported that the trial should begin in Mariupol, while subsequent hearings could be held in other parts of the region.

Meanwhile, Moscow has ruled out an exchange between the Ukrainian military captured after the capture of the Azovstal plant and the opposing Ukrainian pro-Russian deputy Viktor Medvedchuk. “We have already said that Medvedchuk is a citizen of Ukraine, and he is not a military man,” said Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin. “In the case of the people who surrendered to Azovstal, we are talking about soldiers and members of nationalist formations, so they are completely different categories and we can hardly speak of exchanges”. As for the possibility of an exchange with the Russian military, Peskov limited himself to saying that the next step is up to the Ukrainian side: “They are the ones who, if necessary, will speak”.