Ukrainian forces completed a ‘combat mission’ in Mariupol after hundreds were evacuated

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Ukrainian forces completed a ‘combat mission’ in Mariupol after hundreds were evacuated

Hannah Getahun – May 16, 2022

A wounded service member of Ukrainian forces from the besieged Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol is transported on a stretcher out of a bus, which arrived under escort of the pro-Russian military in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in Novoazovsk, Ukraine May 16, 2022Alexander Ermochenko/REUTERS
Ukrainian forces completed a ‘combat mission’ in Mariupol after hundreds were evacuated
  • Ukrainian forces said they “fulfilled their combat mission” in Mariupol on Tuesday.
  • They have begun to evacuate to “save the lives of their personnel.”
  • 53 soldiers were transported to a hospital and another 211 were evacuated via humanitarian corridor.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said Tuesday that a garrison stationed in Mariupol has “fulfilled its combat mission” and began to evacuate.

This likely signals the end of a mission to defend the Azovstal steel plant, which served as a stronghold for Ukrainian troops in the besieged city of Mariupol.

“The Supreme Military Command ordered the commanders of the units stationed at Azovstal to save the lives of their personnel,” according to a statement.

According to defense officials, 53 wounded troops were transported to a hospital in Novoazovsk, while another 211 were evacuated through a humanitarian corridor to Olenivka. They may be subject to a prisoner exchange between Russian troops, the statement said.

Ukrainian forces had recently begun evacuations of civilians at the Azovstal steel plant, where hundreds of Ukrainian civilians and troops bunkered down for months.

“Defenders of Mariupol are the heroes of our time,” the statement said. “They are forever in history.”

Author: John Hanno

Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois. Bogan High School. Worked in Alaska after the earthquake. Joined U.S. Army at 17. Sergeant, B Battery, 3rd Battalion, 84th Artillery, 7th Army. Member of 12 different unions, including 4 different locals of the I.B.E.W. Worked for fortune 50, 100 and 200 companies as an industrial electrician, electrical/electronic technician.