On Friday, the commander of the Azov Battalion, Denys Prokopenko, made a video address calling for the proper burial of soldiers who died at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, on the background of questions about the fate of hundreds of soldiers who surrendered to russia and how many remained on the plant.
The head of Azov said that the top military command had ordered the battalion, which is part of the National Guard, to save the lives and health of servicemen and “stop defending the city,” The New York Times reports.
On Friday, the russian Defense Ministry said that about 2,000 Azovstal fighters, most of whom are from the Azov Battalion, had surrendered, but this information could not be verified. It is unclear how many fighters remain at the plant.
In a video released on Friday, Commander Prokopenko said the Azov Regiment had suffered from a “supply shortage, fighting hard and being surrounded from all sides.”
"Civilians were evacuated from Azovstal, the wounded were provided with the necessary assistance and evacuated with further exchange and relocation to the territory controlled by Ukraine,” it was said in a statement. “As for the fallen heroes, the process is underway. I hope that soon their relatives and the whole Ukraine will be able to bury them with honor.”
Prokopenko's video came a day after battalion deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar posted a video in which he said the commanders remained at the plant.
Captain Palamar sent the video to news agencies, including The New York Times. He said he could not say how many fighters remained on the plant.
The International Committee of the Red Cross stated on Thursday it had registered hundreds of prisoners of war, including wounded combatants, who had left the plant.
The New York Times called an order to “save the lives of soldiers” and stop defending the city an important step of the military command.
The process of removing the fallen soldiers from the plant is underway, the regiment said.
Mariupol has been a key target for putin since the start of the war, and the city was destroyed after numerous bombardments amid fierce resistance.