April 13 – Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that 1,026 soldiers from Ukraine’s 36th Naval Brigade, including 162 officers, surrendered in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
Mariupol, which has been encircled by Russian troops for weeks, has seen the fiercest fighting and most widespread destruction since Russia invaded on February 24.
The main port of the Sea of Azov is the biggest target in the eastern Donbass region, which Moscow is now citing as the focus of its campaign, and if captured it would be the first major city to fall since the war began. Its capture would help secure a land route between the separatist-held eastern territories and Crimea, which Russia seized and annexed in 2014.
“In the city of Mariupol, near the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works, 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Marine Brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered after successful offensives by Russian forces and militia units of the Donetsk People’s Republic,” the ministry said in a statement.
Reuters could not independently confirm the handover. Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk said he had no information about it and there was no immediate comment from the Office of the President of Ukraine or the Ukrainian General Staff.
On Monday, a post on the Ukrainian naval brigade’s Facebook page said the unit was preparing for a final battle in Mariupol that would result in death or capture as its troops ran out of ammunition.
“Today will probably be the ultimate fight as we’re out of ammo,” the Post said. “Moreover: melee. Moreover, death for some, imprisonment for others.”
Some Ukrainian officials at the time said the post may have been fake and that troops were still holding out.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 151 wounded Ukrainian soldiers were treated at the scene and taken to Mariupol Municipal Hospital.
Earlier Wednesday, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, who says his forces are playing a key role in Russia’s fight for Mariupol, said more than 1,000 Ukrainian marines had surrendered. He called on the remaining forces entrenched in the Azovstal Steelworks to surrender. Continue reading
Reuters journalists escorting Russian-backed separatists in Mariupol on Tuesday saw flames rising from the Azovstal complex.
Reporting by Reuters Editor by Peter Graff