It is reported that all remaining Ukrainian troops who were fighting until the 'last resort' at the Mariupol Azoustal Works in the southern city of Ukraine have surrendered.
The Russian military has declared the 'liberation' of Mariupol complete.
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenko said yesterday local time, "The last 531 people surrendered, and the factory (Azoustal) has been locked down since the 16th. announced.
The Russian army refers to the Azoustal resistance soldiers as 'Nazi forces'.
Konashenko said that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported to President Vladimir Putin "the end of the operation and the complete liberation of the (Azoustal) industrial complex and the city of Mariupol". came under the control of
The Russian Ministry of Defense also released a video showing an unarmed Azoustal Army soldier coming out of an underground tunnel, revealing his identity to the Russian army and being searched.
The BBC reported that it could not confirm the authenticity of the video while conveying this information.
It is said that the wounded Azoustal soldiers who left the tunnel were taken to a medical facility by Russian army bus and ambulance.
The commander of the Azou Regiment was escorted by a 'special armored vehicle', the Russian military added.
A spokesperson for Konashenko said:
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with local television that he had allowed Azoustal soldiers to surrender, saying, "The military command has clearly ordered the soldiers to come out of Azoustal and defend their lives."
The commander of the Azou Regiment, Deis Prokopenko, who leads the remaining troops in the Azoustal Underground Tunnel, also said in a video message posted on Telegram, "I have received an order from the higher command to stop defending the city and preserve the lives of the soldiers."
With their surrender, the most gruesome siege operation in this war was completely over.
The last defensive force composed of the National Guard, Marine Corps, and the police, including the 'Azo Friendship Regiment', used Azoustal, the largest steel mill in Europe, as a base to resist even when food and drinking water supply was cut off.
The fighting lasted for about 80 days, but the Ukrainian Army declared the end of Azoustal's mission on the 17th, three days ago, three days ago, fearing that the loss of life would increase in a situation where supplies were cut off.
Hundreds of people surrendered every day, starting with serious injuries, and the last 531 people surrendered on that day, bringing the number of surrenders to 2,439.
Mariupol as well as Azoustal are already in a state of complete ruin.
As the Russian army finally took control of Azoustal, they were able to completely secure the long-cherished greedy Mariupol.
(Photo = Yonhap News)