Ukraine announces withdrawal of last steelworks troops, cedes control of Mariupol to Russia

Ukraine announced on Tuesday (17, local date) the evacuation of the last soldiers from the Azovstal steelworks, the last focus of resistance in the port city of Mariupol, after weeks of Russian attacks. In this way, Kyiv completely cedes control of the city, which has been hardest hit by Moscow’s attacks since the beginning of the war on 24 February.

The rest of Mariupol had already been taken over by the Russians, and civilians and military took refuge in Azovstal. After evacuations that took place in recent weeks, just over 260 soldiers left the factory for Russian-controlled areas on Monday (16) and are expected to be included in prisoner exchanges.

Ukraine reported that some soldiers remain inside the steel mill and efforts are being made to remove them.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement that the Mariupol garrison had “fulfilled its combat mission” and that’s why the commanders of the units stationed in Azovstal were ordered to “save the lives of their personnel”.

“By concentrating the main enemy forces around Mariupol, we had the opportunity to prepare and create defensive lines, where our troops are today ready to repel the aggressor. This provided us with crucial time to form reserves, regroup forces and receive assistance from partners,” the statement added.