More Ukrainian fighters surrender in Mariupol, Russia says

KYIV/MARIUPOL, Ukraine (Reuters) – Moscow said nearly 700 more Ukrainian fighters had surrendered in Russian-held Mariupol as it shored up a key victory in the south, while the United States became the latest Western country to reopen its embassy in Kyiv.

Ukraine has ordered its garrison in Mariupol to withdraw, but the outcome of Europe’s bloodiest battle in decades remains unresolved.

Top commanders of the Ukrainian fighters who made their last stand at the Azovstal steelworks in the port city are still inside the plant, according to the leader of the pro-Russian separatists who control the area, Denis Pushilin, quoted by local news agency DNA. on Wednesday.

Ukrainian officials have refused to comment publicly on the fate of the fighters.

“The state is making maximum efforts to carry out the rescue of our service personnel,” military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzaynik told a news conference. “Any information to the public could jeopardize that process.”

Ukraine confirmed the surrender of more than 250 fighters on Tuesday, but did not say how many more were inside.

Russia said on Wednesday that a further 694 fighters had surrendered, bringing the total number to 959. Its Defense Ministry released videos of what it said were Ukrainian fighters receiving hospital treatment after surrendering in Azovstal.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the Red Cross and the United Nations participated in the talks, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said, but gave no details.

Mariupol is the largest city Russia has captured so far and allows Russian President Vladimir Putin to claim a rare victory in the invasion that began on February 24.

Moscow has focused on the southeast in recent offensives after pulling away from kyiv, where, in another sign of normalization, the United States said it had resumed operations at its embassy on Wednesday.

“The Ukrainian people … have defended their homeland against the inconceivable invasion of Russia, and as a result, the Stars and Stripes fly over the Embassy once again,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A small number of diplomats would initially return to staff the mission, but consular operations will not resume immediately, embassy spokesman Daniel Langenkamp said.

Canada, Britain and others have also recently resumed embassy operations.

The Ukrainian resistance continues in the territory occupied by Russia. In the southern city of Melitopol, Ukraine said its fighters, using an explosive device, blew up an armored train carrying Russian troops.

Reuters was unable to independently verify the details. The Russian Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Moscow says it is involved in a “special military operation” to demilitarize and “denazify” its neighbor. The West and kyiv call that a false pretext for the invasion.

NATO REQUEST

Finland and Sweden formally applied for NATO membership on Wednesday, a decision made in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine and the same type of expansion that Putin cited as a reason for attacking Ukraine.

The US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, called for an accelerated accession process that could “be done in a couple of months”, but NATO member Turkey said its approval depended on the return of “terrorists”. “, that is, the Kurdish militants and the followers of Fethullah Gulen.

Finland and Sweden were militarily non-aligned during the Cold War.

Although Russia had threatened to retaliate against the plans, Putin said on Monday that his NATO membership would not be a problem unless the alliance sends more troops or weapons there.

However, Russia could cut off gas supplies to Finland this week, Finland’s state-owned energy provider Gasum said.

The European Commission announced a 210 billion euro ($220 billion) plan for Europe to end its dependence on Russian oil, gas and coal by 2027.

Meanwhile, Google became the latest major Western company to pull out of Russia, saying its local unit has filed for bankruptcy and was forced to close operations after its bank accounts were seized.

DONBAS ATTACKS

On the front lines, Russian forces continued to press their main offensive, trying to capture more territory in the eastern Donbas region that Moscow claims on behalf of the separatists.

The capture of Mariupol, the Donbas’s main port, has given Moscow full control of the Sea of ​​Azov and an unbroken swath of territory in eastern and southern Ukraine.

The governor of the Luhansk region, part of the Donbas, said that there were several attacks there.

“Most of today’s shelling was carried out in Severodonetsk and nearby towns… The Russians are still trying to cut off the ‘road of life’ through the center of the Luhansk region linking Lysychansk and Bakhmut,” Serhity Gaidai wrote on Telegram.

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