“Azovstal: humanitarian operation is ongoing. To save lives, 52 severely wounded Ukrainian service members were evacuated yesterday. After their health condition stabilizes, we will exchange them for Russian prisoners of war," Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister – Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, posted on Telegram.
"We are working on the next stages of the humanitarian operation. God willing, everything will be fine," she added.
Read also: Mariupol garrison “has fulfilled its combat mission” - General StaffAs reported, the evacuation of Ukrainian defenders from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol began on May 16.
Fifty-three severely wounded service members were taken to a medical facility in Novoazovsk. Another 211 defenders were evacuated through the humanitarian corridor to Olenivka and then returned to the Ukraine-controlled territory through the exchange procedure.
