Hundreds of Ukrainian Fighters Evacuated from Mariupol Steel Plant: 'Heroes of Our Time'

Stephanie Wenger
·3 min read
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Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol, in territory under the government of the Donetsk People's Republic, eastern in Mariupol, Ukraine, . Heavy fighting is raging at the besieged steel plant in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to finish off the city's last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port Russia, Mariupol, Ukraine

AP/Shutterstock

Ukrainian officials said the soldiers who spent more than two months inside the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol following a siege by Russian forces have "fulfilled [their] combat mission."

On Tuesday, the evacuation of the troops was underway, according to a statement, obtained by USA Today, from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"The Supreme Military Command ordered the commanders of the units stationed at Azovstal to save the lives of their personnel," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said. "Mariupol defenders are heroes of our time."

Image from drone footage released by the Azov Regiment on May 5, 2022 shows flame billows and smoke rises from the Azovstal steel plant as the assault on plant continues. Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians remain in the complex. The plant is under heavy fire as Russia forces uses aircraft, artillery and infantry to storm the last holdout of the Ukrainian forces in the southern port city of Mariupol.

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RELATED: Wives of Soldiers Trapped in Ukrainian Steel Plant Describe Horrific Conditions: 'On the Last Breath'

The Ukrainian military announced 264 service members — 53 of whom are "seriously injured" — had been evacuated. The injured were taken by bus for medical aid in Russian controlled territories, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a statement, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the evaluation of the steel plant is being completed to save lives of the fighters who endured weeks of Russian attacks.

"Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes to be alive. It's our principle," he said, according to CBS News. "The work to bring the guys home continues, and it requires delicacy and time."

264 Ukrainian servicemen who had been holed up in the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are searched by Russian forces, some of them being carried out on stretchers, as they are evacuated to a Russia controlled area on May 17, 2022 following negotiation mediated by the United Nations and International Red Cross. Ukrainian Fighters Evacuated, Mariupol, Ukraine - 17 May 2022 The Russian Defense Ministry said in the accompanying statement that 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded. They were sent to a hospital in the city of Novoazovsk, Donetsk People's Republic. Five buses and an armored personnel carrier carrying the servicemen arrived late on Monday in Novoazovsk, and some of the evacuees were carried out on stretchers into a hospital, a Reuters witness said. Novoazovsk is now under the control of Russia-backed separatists who have held parts of eastern Ukraine since 2014. It is unclear how many fighters still remain in the plant. Ukrainian authorities said the evacuated fighters will be used in exchange of Russian prisoners of war caught in Ukraine. It is unclear how many fighters still remain in the plant. Ukrainian authorities said the evacuated fighters will be used in exchange of Russian prisoners of war caught in Ukraine

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RELATED: Ukrainian Evacuees Recount Hiding in Bunkers for Months Amid Russian Bombing in Mariupol: 'I Was Hysterical'

"Thanks to the defenders of Mariupol, Ukraine gained critically important time to form reserves and regroup forces and receive help from partners," Deputy Ukrainian Defense Minister Hanna Maliar added, per CBS News. "They fulfilled all their tasks. But it is impossible to unblock Azovstal by military means."

Ukraine Minister for the Reintegration Irina Vereshchuk said a prisoner exchange will occur for the soldiers, according to USA Today.

The Kremlin said the end of the combat mission was a mass surrender. In a video from Russian Defense Ministry, troops can be seen patting down and searching the fighters, according to USA Today.

Vyacheslav Volodin, speaker of the lower house of the Russian parliament, said he believes there are "war criminals" among the evacuated troops and they should face prosecution, the outlet reported.

It remains unknown how many troops remain at the steel plant.

264 Ukrainian servicemen who had been holed up in the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol are allowed to leave by Russian forces, some of them being carried out on stretchers, as they are evacuated to a Russia controlled area on May 17, 2022 following negotiation mediated by the United Nations and International Red Cross. Ukrainian Fighters Evacuated, Mariupol, Ukraine - 17 May 2022 The Russian Defense Ministry said in the accompanying statement that 265 militants laid down their arms and surrendered, including 51 seriously wounded. They were sent to a hospital in the city of Novoazovsk, Donetsk People's Republic. Five buses and an armored personnel carrier carrying the servicemen arrived late on Monday in Novoazovsk, and some of the evacuees were carried out on stretchers into a hospital, a Reuters witness said. Novoazovsk is now under the control of Russia-backed separatists who have held parts of eastern Ukraine since 2014. It is unclear how many fighters still remain in the plant. Ukrainian authorities said the evacuated fighters will be used in exchange of Russian prisoners of war caught in Ukraine. It is unclear how many fighters still remain in the plant. Ukrainian authorities said the evacuated fighters will be used in exchange of Russian prisoners of war caught in Ukraine

EyePress News/Shutterstock

RELATED: Russian Troops Want to Conceal Bodies of More Than 10,000 Dead in Mariupol, Ukraine, Mayor Says

Earlier this month, wives of the trapped Ukrainian soldiers spoke out about the situtation in an interview with The New York Times.

"They are really on the last breath," Kateryna Prokopenko said of the fighters, which include her husband, Lt. Col. Denys Prokopenko.

"The whole world is advising them to surrender without understanding that it means death for them," Yulia Fedosiuk, whose husband Sgt. Arseniy Fedosiuk is also among those under the sprawling factory, said.

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Russia's attack on Ukraine continues after their forces launched a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 — the first major land conflict in Europe in decades.

Details of the fighting change by the day, but thousands of civilians have already been reported dead or wounded, including children, though the actual number of deaths is difficult to determine.

Nearly 6 million have fled the country as refugees — and half are children, according to the United Nations. Millions more have been displaced inside Ukraine.

The invasion, ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin, has drawn condemnation around the world and increasingly severe economic sanctions against Russia.

With NATO forces amassed in the region, various countries are offering aid or military support to the resistance. Zelenskyy has called for peace talks — so far unsuccessful — while urging his country to fight back.

Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.

"Nobody is going to break us, we're strong, we're Ukrainians," he told the European Union in a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, "Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness."

The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.