Self-Declared Donetsk People’s Republic Leader Pushilin has declared that the military operation in Mariupol has ended. His personnel and the Russian military have confirmed that 2,439 people have been taken from the plant and placed into hospital care and/or military camps. 177 civilians, 77 women, and more than 2,000 Ukrainian fighters have been registered. Among those Ukrainian troops, an unspecified number of foreign volunteers have also been captured.
As we covered yesterday, Major Volyna, Commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade surrendered with his men. However, we have not received official confirmation that the Azov Battalion Commander, Denys Prokopenko has surrendered. Since the surrender of Volyna was heavily documented by the Russians, it is unlikely that his surrender would have passed under the radar. However, Channel One correspondent Irina Kuksenkova did report that:
“The commander of the Ukrainian national battalion “Azov” Denis Prokopenko (Redis) laid down his arms and left the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol. His deputy Svyatoslav Palamar, better known as Kalina, also surrendered.
“Azov commander Denis Prokopenko Radish left Azovstal and surrendered,” she wrote. She indicated that he handed over his personal machine gun and pistol and was transported from the plant in a Tigr-M armored car, under heavy guard. This is not confirmed, but if true would allow the Russian Internal Ministry plausible deniability in any treatment they deal out against the Ukrainian commander, who they have placed on a “most-wanted” list. The Minsitry has already issued stark warnings calling for the trial and imprisonment of “neo-nazis” of the Azov Battalion for crimes against the people of the Donbass. In this video you can see Ukrainian soldiers with Nazi tattoos being singled out and inspected.
U.K. Secretary of Defense Wallace has said that the loss of the Azovstal Steel Plant and the complete surrender of Mariupol will now allow the probably 10,000 Russian troops in the city to reinforce other areas of the Donbass such as Izyum and Kherson where forces have rallied to complete the scaled back goals of securing the declared borders of Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics.
