Sviatoslav Palamar, one of the commanders of the Azov Battalion allied with Ukrainian Territorial Forces released an 18second video on Thursday (19) saying that he and other fighters stayed at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
“There is a specific operation taking place, the details of which I will not disclose. Thanks to the whole world and thanks to Ukraine for (their) support,” he said.
Russia has already sent 900 Ukrainian soldiers to prison camps on Russian territory. A total of around 1,730 soldiers have already surrendered since Monday to resist the Russian invasion of Mariupol in southern Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Thursday.
All soldiers will be prisoners of war, but Moscow has not yet made it clear where they will be taken and whether it will agree to swapping them for Russian fighters being held by Ukraine.
Russia releases picture of Ukrainian soldiers leaving Azovstal
The surrendered soldiers had been at the Azovstal Metallurgical Complex in Mariupol for at least three weeks. The complex is one of the largest metallurgical works in Europe and was the only point in the southern Ukrainian port city that Russia had not conquered.
Of the total soldiers who surrendered, 80 were wounded and taken to nearby hospitals on Ukrainian territory, but under the guard of Russian forces. On Wednesday, Russia released a video showing some of the hospitalized military personnel.
Kyiv has announced that it will negotiate a prisoner exchange, but Moscow has yet to comment on the negotiations.
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Ukrainian soldiers leave the last Ukrainian bastion in Mariupol
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), “hundreds of Ukrainian prisoners of war” are said to be in the plant in Mariupol, a port city destroyed by Russian bombing.
The ICRC said in a statement that it maintains a dialogue with the parties to the conflict about their obligations under international humanitarian law and expects compliance with international agreements.
According to the 1949 Geneva Conventions, the ICRC must have immediate access to all prisoners of war, wherever they are being held.
“The ICRC must be allowed to question prisoners of war without witnesses and the duration and frequency of such visits must not be unduly restricted,” it said in a statement.