Over 1000 Ukrainian marines surrender in Mariupol, says Chechen head Kadyrov

As the battle for Mariupol takes a bloodier turn, Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said that more than a thousand Ukraine marines have surrendered in the besieged city. Subsequently, they have also asked their fellow troops sheltering at the Azoval steel mill to surrender. While there has been no report of Russian troops directly attacking the mill, Ukrainian Defense forces claim that Russians were proceeding with attacks on the Azovstal plant as well as the port.

The ancient port city of Mariupol is one of the key areas of contention between Russia and Ukraine. According to the city’s mayor Vadym Boychenko, there are still 1,20,000 people trapped inside the city in dire need of water, food, and warmth. Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Russian television broadcasted photos and videos of the Ukrainian troops-many injured-surrendering themselves near the Ilyich Iron and Steelworks.

"Within Azovstal at the moment there are about 200 wounded who cannot receive any medical assistance," Kadyrov said in a telegram post. "For them and all the rest, it would be better to end this pointless resistance and go home to their families," he added. 

As the situation intensifies, Mariupol's Mayor has accused Russian troops of blocking the entrance of the Russian convoy to conceal the carnage they have done in the city. He further accused them of forcefully transferring Mariupol residents to economically deprived regions of Russia or separatist-held regions in Ukraine. Speaking to AP, Vadym Boychenko also said that only those who pass the 'Russian Filtration' camps are allowed to exit the city. Those who fail at the filtering are sent to improvised prisons.   

Day 49 of Russo-Ukrainian war

The Russia-Ukraine war has entered day 49 now with Kremlin troops withdrawing from the northern cities of Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Sumy. However, they have intensified attacks in the eastern region of Donetsk and Luhansk- which make up the Donbas region. Meanwhile, the war in the besieged city of Mariupol has continued with over 10,000 people dead, according to the city's mayor. As mass graves are being discovered, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that "Russia started a full-scale war against us and we are allegedly to blame."

(Image: AP)