More than 1,900 soldiers from Azovstal are still in Russian captivity

More than 1,900 soldiers from «Azovstal» are still in Russian captivity / Photo: Dmytro Kozatskyi

Today, May 20, is the second anniversary of Mariupol defenders leaving Azovstal. However, more than 1,900 of them are still in Russian captivity.

This is reported by the Mariupol City Council.

Today is the second anniversary of Mariupol's defenders leaving Azovstal. 86 days of heroic defense of Mariupol and more than two years in Russian captivity. They went through hell in Mariupol, then in Olenivka, and now they continue their struggle in captivity. More than 1,900 military personnel from Azovstal are still in captivity,» the message reads.

The city council stressed that the struggle for the release of Ukrainian soldiers from captivity and the return home continues every day.

«We remember your contribution to our independence,» the city authorities appeal to the defenders of Mariupol.

As reported, on May 16, 2022, the evacuation of 2.5 thousand Ukrainian soldiers from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol began by order of the command of the Defense Forces. On May 20, the Russians took out the last of them. The Russians kept most of the defenders in the temporarily occupied Olenivtsi and Novoazovsk. Later they were transferred to Russian colonies.

As of 2023, only every fifth of almost 2,500 captured defenders of Mariupol was returned.

It will be recalled that in the city of Beverly Hills, in the state of Los Angeles, local residents, refugees and activists came to a rally related to the anniversary of the Russian airstrike on the Mariupol drama theater, during which, according to various sources, 300 to 600 residents of the city died. During the action, the demonstrators called for the release of all defenders of Azovstal from Russian captivity.