Chief Spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence of the Russia Igor Konashenkov made statements about the latest situation of the Ukraine-Russia war. Konashenkov announced that the last Ukrainian soldiers at the Azovstal steel factory, which has become a symbol of resistance against the Russian army in Ukrainian city of Mariupol, surrendered and the factory was completely evacuated. “The Azovstal factory in Mariupol, which has been blocked since April 21 by a group of Ukrainian soldiers from the Azov battalion, has been completely liberated. The factory site, where the soldiers were hiding, became completely under the control of the Russian Armed Forces. The last group of 531 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered,” Konashenkov said in his statement.
Noting that the Azov battalion commander removed from the factory with a special armored vehicle, Konashenkov stated that a total of 2,439 Ukrainian soldiers dropped their weapons and surrendered since May 16. Konashenkov told that Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu informed Russian President Vladimir Putin that the operation was completed, the factory site and the city of Mariupol were completely liberated from Ukrainian soldiers.