The Ukrainian military’s general staff has said that fighters evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol defenders are heroes of our time.
In a message posted to Facebook, army chiefs said the determination of the Ukrainian troops had forced Russia to keep around 20,000 troops entrenched around the city and “hindered the implementation of the plan for the rapid capture of Zaporizhzhia”.
“Forging the enemy’s core forces around Mariupol has given us the opportunity to prepare and create the defensive frontiers on which our troops are still present today and give a decent counterpoint to the aggressor,” the post said.
Mariupol defenders are heroes of our time
The 82nd day of Ukraine’s defence was a “difficult” one, President Volodymyr Zelensky says in his nightly Facebook speech, which begins by addressing the latest situation in Mariupol.
Zelensky added that the work “to bring the boys home” continues in Mariupol while other fighting continues to rage in the country’s east.
“We got the critically needed time to build reserves, regroup forces, and get help from partners,” military chiefs went on.
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Ukrainian fighters being evacuated from Azovstal
The post added that some fighters remain trapped at the plant and said measures to “rescue defenders who remain in the territory of Azovstal are ongoing”.
It is also evident about the domination of the Russian army but a deal has been brokered to aid – Ukrainian fighters being evacuated from Azovstal in Mariupol.
Fifty-three heavily injured fighters were taken to the town of Novoazovsk, and another 211 to Olenivka, the deputy defence minister says
A senior commander of Ukrainian forces at the besieged plant said earlier in a post on social media that fighters there were carrying out a decision by the Ukrainian military high command to save the lives of service personnel, but he gave no details of what the decision was.
However, about a dozen buses carrying Ukrainian fighters who were holed up beneath the besieged plant have been seen leaving the site, Reuters news agency is reporting.
Earlier we reported that Russia’s Ministry of Defence said it had reached an agreement with Ukraine for wounded soldiers to be evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steelworks.
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