Ukrainian soldiers surrender at Azovstal

This is very sad, but the loss of Mariupol just might allow Putin to claim mission accomplished, declare a victory, and end the invasion. 

The fate of hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers who have ended weeks of resistance at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol remains unclear, after the fighters surrendered and were transferred to Russian-controlled territory.

[...]

Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, promised the fighters who surrendered would be treated “in accordance with international standards”, but this was immediately undermined by statements from two Russian officials. Leonid Slutsky, a Russian MP who took part in negotiations with Ukraine earlier in the war, suggested Russia should lift its moratorium on the death penalty for fighters from the Azov regiment, one of the main forces defending the steelworks, calling them “animals in human form”.

[...]

Sandra Krotevych, the sister of Azov’s chief of staff, Bohdan Krotevych, said she had been in contact with her brother at 5am on Tuesday and he was still on the territory of Azovstal, but since then she had not heard from him. In recent weeks, she said, as the supplies hoarded in the steelworks began to dwindle and Russian strikes on the plant continued, the soldiers had been eating only once a day and had been drinking water from pipes and other unclean sources.

[...]

Russia’s defence ministry said 265 Ukrainian fighters surrendered at the plant, including 51 seriously injured soldiers who would be transferred to hospitals in Novoazovsk in Russian-controlled territory in east Ukraine.

[...]

For weeks, hundreds of troops have been holed up in a warren of tunnels and bunkers underneath the steelworks, as Russian forces took control of the rest of the city after turning much of it into an uninhabitable wasteland. Many of those stuck at Azovstal had serious injuries, with limited medical care and dwindling supplies.

In the last few weeks, civilians who had also taken cover in the plant were rescued after a deal was brokered by the International Committee of the Red Cross to allow them to leave for Ukrainian-controlled territory.Zelenskiy sounded a more cautious note. “The work of bringing the boys home continues, and this work needs delicacy – and time,” he said.

Details of the agreement that led to the evacuation remain unclear, and a flurry of hardline statements from Russian officials suggested an exchange could still be some way off.

  Guardian

 UPDATE 5/18:

Mariupol disaster

The last Ukrainian soldiers defending Mariupol said they were “running out of ammunition” on Monday and expected to be killed or taken prisoner very soon by Russian forces surrounding the city.

  The Guardian

Tuesday:

A Briton who has been fighting with the Ukrainian armed forces in the besieged city of Mariupol has been forced to surrender along with his unit to the Russians because they have run out of food and ammunition.

  Guardian

What responsibility does the West have due to refusal to provide fighter jets and for the delay in providing tanks and other large weaponry?

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.

A possibility of help for Mariupol's remaining residents

source

Can they be trusted?

Also...

Putin: war criminal and monster

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Monday almost 5,000 people have been killed in the Ukrainian city since the Russian invasion began.

Among the dead are 210 children, according to the mayor, as hundreds of thousands have fled the city, Reuters reported.

The city estimates 150,000 fled Mariupol after Russia’s attack and another 140,000 left before the invasion began.

Boichenko said 170,000 individuals are still trapped in the city, which has been a central part of the humanitarian crisis.

Critical utilities and food have been cut off, and buildings from hospitals to schools have been shelled as Russia has focused its attack on the city due to its strategic importance.

The city has seen 40 percent of its buildings destroyed, and 90 percent damaged, according to Boichenko.

[...]

"People are beyond the line of humanitarian catastrophe," he added. "We need to completely evacuate Mariupol."

If Russia is able to take Mariupol, they could create a land bridge to Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014.

  The Hill

Russia's targeting is absolutely monstrous

Shelters where large numbers of people are gathering for safety (see previous post), hospitals and health facilities, chemical plants, and the latest: a mall and apartment buildings.

Cancel Ukraine's foreign debt, and send them the fighter planes they're asking for,in addition to whatever military aid is currently being offered. Remove Russia's voting rights at the UN.

Meanwhile, Russia is laying waste to Mariupol.

Also monstrous, if true...

Evil

The National Guard of Ukraine says Sunday's cease-fire was broken and the evacuation plans have been halted after Russian forces opened fire.

It was the second day in a row a cease-fire to allow the evacuation of civilians from the port city of Mariupol has failed.

Civilian evacuations from the city of Mariupol were scheduled to begin at noon local time during a 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. local cease-fire, according to The Associated Press.

Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Gerashchenko says the planned evacuations were stalled due to an ongoing assault.

“There can be no ‘green corridors’ because only the sick brain of the Russians decides when to start shooting and at whom,“ Gerashchenko said on Telegram, according to the AP.

  NPR

Just as evil as the Americans giving Iraqis a day's warning to leave Falluja - in the middle of a desert - before destroying the town.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.