Women among surrendered Azovstal fighters taken prisoners of war by Russia's troops

Russia’s military has reportedly taken women among the Ukrainian fighters as prisoners of war, as they were extracted from the final bastion of resistance in Azovstal steelworks located in the besieged port city of Mariupol. The POWs are being escorted to the former penal colony in Kremlin-controlled territory. At least fifteen young women – military and health workers –  also  died at Azovstal. "This is a tragedy for the entire Ukrainian people. These are the best of us, real heroes. We must make every effort to save them," Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko said in a Telegram post.

Kyiv officials have earlier said that they hope the prisoners in Azovstal steelworks are exchanged for Russian prisoners of war. Mariupol City Council members called on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine to use all international instruments to save Ukrainian defenders taken prisoners by the invading Russian troops. 

"The blockade of the Azovstal steel plant continues. Civilians held there by Ukrainian nationalists have been evacuated from the plant. 177 people were rescued, including 85 women and 47 children. All have been provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance,"Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said in a briefing. Russia's Defence Ministry meanwhile announced in a statement that an estimated 959 Ukrainian soldiers were entrenched inside the Mariupol plant. So far, as many as 1,908 people have laid down their weapons. “Let me remind you that before that, 1,387 marines laid down weapons,” Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said.

All Ukrainian fighters holed up in Azovstal surrendered

Russia’s defence ministry separately informed that as of May 21, Saturday, all Ukrainian fighters that had been holed up there have surrendered. "The territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant...has been completely liberated," it stated. Denis Pushilin, head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR),  meanwhile said that there were foreigners among the nationalists [Azov fighters] inside the plant as he backed the claims with preliminary reports. 

"According to preliminary information, yes, there were, and yes, there are. But [I do not want] to make unsubstantiated statements, as information will, of course, be made public after specialists’ work," Pushilin told TV channel Soloviov Live. 

An agreement was struck between Ukrainian servicemen that were “sealed off” by the Russian troops inside the steelworks to extract wounded Ukrainian military personnel from the plant in exchange for ending the mission. Russian President Vladimir Putin had declared a directive to his defense minister to halt the assault on Azovstal to avoid Russian soldiers casualties, and had ordered that the industrial zone must be sealed off so that even a fly "couldn’t get through.” Putin had declared a victory over the port city of Mariupol calling it “liberated” from the neo-Nazi fighters. Ukrainian combat troops inside Azovstal had been sealed off along the entire perimeter with little or no food and water. Russian forces had continued to heavily shell the plant.