About a dozen buses transported 264 Ukrainian fighters from Mariupol's massive Azovstal steel plant to areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists as part of a deal worked out with Russia and outside groups for a future troop exchange, Ukraine said Monday night. "Fifty-three seriously injured people were evacuated from Azovstal to a medical facility in Novoazovsk for medical care," said Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar. "Another 211 people were taken to Olenivka through the humanitarian corridor."
"Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said, thanking the Ukrainian military and negotiators, the United Nations, and the Red Cross for facilitating the evacuation. "The work to bring the guys home continues, and it requires delicacy and time." Hundreds of Ukrainian fighters are believed to remain inside the Azovstal plant, and Ukraine is working to rescue them, too, Maliar said. "Mariupol's defenders have fully accomplished all missions assigned by the command."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Critics' choice: Three takes on tavern diningFeature A second Minetta Tavern, A 1946 dining experience, and a menu with a mission
-
Film reviews: Warfare and A Minecraft MovieFeature A combat film that puts us in the thick of it and five misfits fall into a cubic-world adventure
-
What to know before lending money to family or friendsthe explainer Ensure both your relationship and your finances remain intact
-
Is the 'coalition of the willing' going to work?Today's Big Question PM's proposal for UK/French-led peacekeeping force in Ukraine provokes 'hostility' in Moscow and 'derision' in Washington
-
Ukraine: where do Trump's loyalties really lie?Today's Big Question 'Extraordinary pivot' by US president – driven by personal, ideological and strategic factors – has 'upended decades of hawkish foreign policy toward Russia'
-
What will Trump-Putin Ukraine peace deal look like?Today's Big Question US president 'blindsides' European and UK leaders, indicating Ukraine must concede seized territory and forget about Nato membership
-
Ukraine's disappearing armyUnder the Radar Every day unwilling conscripts and disillusioned veterans are fleeing the front
-
Cuba's mercenaries fighting against UkraineThe Explainer Young men lured by high salaries and Russian citizenship to enlist for a year are now trapped on front lines of war indefinitely
-
Ukraine-Russia: are both sides readying for nuclear war?Today's Big Question Putin changes doctrine to lower threshold for atomic weapons after Ukraine strikes with Western missiles
-
What would happen if Russia declared war on Nato?In depth Response to an attack on UK or other Western allies would be 'overwhelming'
-
Are Ukraine's F-16 fighter jets too little too late?Today's Big Question US-made aircraft are 'significant improvement' on Soviet-era weaponry but long delay and lack of trained pilots could undo advantage against Russia
