Kyiv ¨C The last Ukrainian forces holed up in Mariupol¡¯s smashed Azovstal steelworks surrendered on Friday, Russia¡¯s Defense Ministry said, ending the most destructive siege of the war as Moscow fought to cement control over the Donbas region.
Hours before Russia¡¯s announcement on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the last defenders at the steelworks had been told by Ukraine¡¯s military that they could get out and save their lives.
Russia said there were 531 members of the last group that had given up. ¡°The territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant ... has been completely liberated,¡± the ministry said in a statement, adding that a total of 2,439 defenders had surrendered in the past few days.
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