Zelenskyy says 'not in Russia's interest' to torture Mariupol defenders in its captivity

More than 2,500 inmates from the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol may be held in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. During a media interaction in Kyiv, the Ukrainian leader said that Russian intentions for the treatment of these detainees were continuously changing, including the move to establish a so-called public tribunal.

Officials in the Donetsk People's Republic have expressed interest in putting some of the Azovstal defenders on trial for suspected human rights violations in Ukraine. When asked if he believed the detainees were being tortured, Zelenskyy said he was confident it was not in the interests of the Russian side because they are "public prisoners" whose status is watched by the international community.

"Today there is the second part — to bring them home alive. We know what can be agreed on with the Russians, we know this price. We know they can’t be trusted," he added.

'We have every chance to fight in Severodonetsk': Zelenskyy

The initial phase of the operation, according to Zelenskyy, was successful in getting the men out of Azovstal alive. When asked about the situation in eastern Ukraine, Zelenskyy described it as "tough." On June 5, the Ukrainian president paid visits to front positions in Luhansk, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia. On being asked if it would be more suitable to move Ukrainian forces from Severodonetsk to stronger positions, Zelenskyy stated that doing so would be more costly in terms of losses.

"We are holding positions in the Severodonetsk direction. There are more of them [the Russians], they are more powerful, but we have every chance to fight in this direction. As for Zaporizhzhia, the situation there is the most threatening because part of the region is occupied and the enemy constantly wants to occupy Zaporizhzhia," he said.

While the front lines in Zaporizhzhia haven't shifted much in the last two months, communities beyond them are being shelled on a regular basis. Meanwhile, Zelenskyy paid tributes to journalists and their families who had been killed in Ukraine since the Russian invasion began. The president of Ukraine commended journalists for their efforts. Notably, since Russia's invasion began, more than 30 Ukrainian and foreign journalists have lost their lives.

Image: AP