As the defense of Mariupol ends, fighting in eastern Ukraine rages on
A leader of the far-right Azov Regiment said Friday that the group had been ordered to cease its last-ditch defense of Mariupol, which has been gutted by the Russian military, and that the effort will now focus on saving lives and removing the dead.
“Glory to Ukraine! 86 days of the defense of Mariupol,” the commander of the regiment, Denys Prokopenko, said in a video posted to Telegram. “The senior military leadership has issued an order on saving the life and health of the garrison’s servicemen and termination of the defense of the city.”
Hours later, Russia’s Ministry of Defense declared on Telegram that the Azovstal steel plant’s underground tunnels “have come under full control of the Russian Armed Forces," saying “the last group of 531 militants surrendered.”
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