Ukrainian soldiers captured by russian forces after the three-month siege of the Azovstal steel plant are being held in “satisfactory” conditions, reported by The Guardian with reference to the words of Katerina, the wife of "Azov" regiment Commander Denis Prokopenko.
Denis was able to call her briefly with the help of the Red Cross. He said he was fine. He added that the prisoners were not abused, but it is not clear whether he could speak freely.
"They get food and water. The conditions [of detention] are met, and in this short period they have not been abused. We do not know what will happen next, but at the moment there are third parties - the UN and the Red Cross, which are monitoring the situation," said Katherina Prokopenko.
Most of the wounded Azov fighters are being held in a prison in the village of Olenivka in the occupied Donetsk region, and a smaller group of seriously wounded is being held in a hospital in the occupied city of Novoazovsk.
Prokopenko noted that, as far as she knew, none of the fighters were taken to russia.
On May 16 Chief Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Armed Forces, National Guard, State Border Guard service began joint operation of evacuation of the defenders of Mariupol blocked on the territory of the Azovstal plant. Commanders were the last to leave the territory of Azovstal. 53 seriously injured people 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.
The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is registering the servicemen being taken out of Azovstal.