The stays of dozens of our bodies of Ukrainian service members killed within the battle for the Azovstal metal plant in Mariupol have been returned to Ukraine and have begun arriving in Kyiv, the Ukrainian authorities introduced on Tuesday.
Lots of the lifeless fighters had been members of the Azov regiment, which led the protection of town for months underneath relentless Russian assault from floor, sea and air till their give up in Might.
Ukraine’s Ministry for Reintegration of Occupied Territories over the weekend introduced the primary formally confirmed alternate of struggle lifeless for the reason that battle started. It mentioned the 2 sides had exchanged a complete of 320 our bodies, every getting again 160 units of stays. It gave no particulars on the place the our bodies had been recovered from.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian authorities, citing the Affiliation of Households of Defenders of Azovstal, mentioned that a few third of the our bodies turned over by Russia had been of members of the Azov regiment. Forensic specialists are inspecting the our bodies and conducting DNA evaluation in an effort to find out their identities.
With Mariupol totally underneath Russian management, it’s not clear whether or not all our bodies have been recovered from the plant.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, talking to journalists in Kyiv on Monday, mentioned that Russia was holding greater than 2,500 Ukrainian troopers from the metal plant as prisoners of struggle. Whereas little is thought about their situation, he mentioned Ukraine’s first goal relating to the troopers had been achieved: They had been in a position to go away the plant with their lives.
“At this time there’s the second half — to convey them residence alive,” he mentioned.