Ukrainian soldiers are believed to be still on the premises of the Azovstal steelworks in Russian-occupied Mariupol.

Denis Pushilin, the "head" of the "Donetsk People's Republic" in eastern Ukraine, said on the Russian propaganda program "Soloviov Live" on Thursday that more than half of the Ukrainian soldiers who had entrenched themselves in the compound have now surrendered.

Moscow announced on Thursday that a total of 1,730 Ukrainians had surrendered there since Monday, including 80 wounded, and most recently "771 fighters from the nationalist unit 'Azov'."

Gerhard Gnauck

Political correspondent for Poland, Ukraine, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania based in Warsaw.

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Frederick Smith

Political correspondent for Russia and the CIS in Moscow.

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What is meant is a regiment of this name of the Ukrainian National Guard, which Russian propaganda uses as alleged evidence of earlier neo-Nazi involvement as evidence that they are fighting "Nazis" in Ukraine.

Next week Russia's Supreme Court is expected to classify the Azov regiment as a "terrorist organization".

Attempts by the Duma, the Russian lower house, to put alleged “Nazi criminals” on a (show) trial have not yet been officially confirmed in Moscow.

Kyiv hopes for prisoner exchange

On Thursday, the relatives of the Ukrainians were able to draw hope from a statement by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): Since Tuesday, hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war have been registered at the Azovstal site.

This allows the ICRC to trace the whereabouts of detainees and help them stay in touch with their families.

The Ukrainians are now in the hands of the Russian troops;

Kyiv hopes that they will be exchanged for captured Russians.

Ukraine does not provide any information about this at the moment.

A government representative asked for patience because of the "complicated negotiation process".

Meanwhile, Petro Andryuschtschenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, warned of the major environmental impacts caused by the destruction of the steelworks on the Azov Sea.

The weapons used by the Russians, but also the destruction of many facilities on the site, threatened to lead to the release of toxic substances, he wrote on Telegram, citing Maxym Borodyn, a top environmental expert in the city.

Also on Thursday Russian and Ukrainian troops fought in the country.

Apparently neither side could record larger gains in territory.

According to the authorities, four civilians were killed when the city of Severodonetsk was shelled.

Meanwhile, in the occupied city of Melitopol, Ukrainian “partisans” have blown up train tracks.

Their attack may have been aimed at an armored train of the Russian troops driving there.

In Kyiv, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the train itself was not hit.

Presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak confirmed that the Ukrainian-Russian negotiations, which had been going on since shortly after the war began, are not taking place and are currently "impossible".

Any yielding to Moscow today will lead to a repeat of the war in one to three years.

The “people from the European community” who are now advising Ukraine in “strange” statements to give up their territories should also understand this.

A ceasefire would only be possible with "a total withdrawal of Russia's troops";

until then, “our negotiating platform is: guns, sanctions and money”.

He apparently meant Russian reparations for the war damage.