Russia’s defence ministry says that 694 Ukrainian fighters who had been holed up in Mariupol’s Azovstal steelworks have surrendered over the past 24 hours, according to a report by the country’s RIA news agency.
The development means that since Monday, a total of 959 fighters who had been holding out at the plant have surrendered, 80 of whom were wounded, RIA reported, citing the ministry.
The unit of neo-Nazist militiamen integrated into Ukraine’s national guard earlier promised to fight on amidst hunger and daily bombardment.