According to Reuters, the Ukrainian military said on Tuesday (June 7) that Russia had returned to Kyiv the remains of 210 dead Ukrainian soldiers, most of them killed in the battle to defend the Mariupol Azov steel plant.
The Ukrainians were trapped inside the Azov steel plant for weeks after Russia launched a violent offensive against the port town of Mariupol. Ultimately, the Ukrainian defenders surrendered last month and were captured by the Russians.
Azov steel plant attacked by Russian forces for weeks
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Intelligence said on Twitter, “The return of the remains of Mariupol’s fallen defenders is underway. So far, 210 remains of our army (soldiers) have been returned, most of them from the Azov Steel Plant. heroic defenders. The work to bring home all captured Ukrainian defenders continues.”
Reuters noted that there was very little information on the fate of the roughly 2,000 Azov steel plant surrendering defenders. Kyiv is seeking to hand over all of the Ukrainian troops who are holding the plant in exchange for prisoners, but some Russian lawmakers want some of them to be tried.
Surrendered Ukrainian soldiers take bus from Azov steel plant to eastern Russian-held area
Families of officers and soldiers of the Azov unit of the Ukrainian National Guard confirmed earlier that the remains of some of the fallen soldiers had been handed over to the authorities in Kyiv. The BBC reported that family members revealed that more than 50 of the remains were members of the Azov group. Forensic experts are examining the remains and conducting DNA analysis to determine their identities.
Last week, the Ministry of Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Zones of Ukraine announced that the remains of fallen soldiers were exchanged between Russia and Ukraine in accordance with the “160 for 160” scheme. This is the first time the two sides have officially confirmed the exchange of war dead since the start of the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Azov steel plant facilities destroyed
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv on Monday (June 6) that Russia had held more than 2,500 Azov steel plant defenders as prisoners of war. Although little is known about their condition, Zelensky said the Ukrainian side’s first goal for the soldiers had been achieved: they were able to escape from the steel mill.
“Now, the second part (the goal) is – to get them home alive,” he said.
(Compile: Zhou Zhou)
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