Russia says evacuation of badly wounded Ukrainian forces from Mariupol’s Azovstal plant has begun

The Russia Defense Ministry says the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian forces from the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol has begun.

Russian network RT has shown video of about 10 to 12 buses leaving the plant. The buses appear to be a mixture of hospital and ordinary transport — some are marked with a red cross.

Media outlets in the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic showed at least one wounded fighter on a stretcher arriving at a hospital in the region late Monday. The fighter did not speak and there was no way to confirm his identity.

“On May 16th, as a result of negotiations with representatives of Ukrainian servicemen blocked on the territory of the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol, an agreement was reached on the removal of the wounded,” the ministry said, according to state news agency RIA Novosti.

“Currently, a ceasefire regime has been established in the area of ​​the enterprise and a humanitarian corridor has been opened, through which wounded Ukrainian servicemen are being delivered to a medical facility in Novoazovsk, Donetsk People’s Republic, to provide them with all the necessary assistance,” the statement continues.

Novoazovsk is about 25 miles (40 kilometers) from Mariupol.

In a brief statement late Monday, the Azov regiment — one of the Ukrainian army’s units in Mariupol — announced that: “In order to save lives, the entire Mariupol garrison is implementing the approved decision of the Supreme Military Command and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people.”

“The defenders of Mariupol fulfilled the order, despite all the difficulties, and distracted the overwhelming forces of the enemy for 82 days,” it continued.

It did not provide any further details.