President Volodymyr Zelensky stated in an interview with Ukrainian journalists that the defenders of Mariupol, who were transferred from the Azovstal plant, should be released in exchange later.
“The guys received a signal from the military that they have every right to leave and save their lives. The military command passed this on to all those blocked at Azovstal.
Then everything depends on how the UN, the Red Cross, russia follow the commitments they had made, that they [the fighters] will all be safe and will expect one or another format of exchange. Today I think so: the process of withdrawal of the defenders and preparation for dialogue, exchange, etc will end ... We will take them home. That we must do together with the partners who have taken responsibility," the president said.
Zelensky also said earlier that many Ukrainian pilots had died while delivering water and food to Azovstal and evacuating the wounded.
The commander of "Azov" Denis Prokopenko noted in his address that the Ukrainian authorities gave the order to defenders of Mariupol to stop defense of the city and to save the lives of fighters.
On May 16, 53 seriously injured people from Azovstal were evacuated to a medical facility in occupied Novoazovsk. Another 211 people were taken through the humanitarian corridor to occupied Olenivka. An exchange procedure will be carried out to return them home.