More than 250 Ukrainian fighters surrendered to Russian forces at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol after weeks of desperate resistance, bringing an end to the most devastating siege of Russia’s war in Ukraine and allowing President Vladmir Putin to claim a rare victory in his faltering campaign.
Reuters saw buses leave the steelworks, where defenders had held out in a complex of bunkers and tunnels, overnight and five arrived in the Russian-held town of Novoazovsk, where Moscow said the wounded would be treated.
What will happen to the fighters was unclear, although the Kremlin said Putin had personally guaranteed the prisoners would be treated according to international standards.
The denoument of a battle which came to symbolise Ukrainian resistance took place as Russia’s invading forces struggled elsewhere, with troops retreating from the outskirts of Kharkiv in the northeast.
On the international front, Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson said Sweden and Finland will on Wednesday hand in their respective applications to join NATO, abandoning their long-standing policy of neutrality over concerns about Putin’s wider intentions.
Their leaders expressed optimism they could overcome Turkey’s objections to them joining amid a flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at smoothing their path into the 30-nation alliance.
Their move will bring about the very expansion of the Western alliance Putin invoked as one of the main justifications for what he terms his “special military operation”.
