More Ukrainian Fighters Surrender, Mostly Wounded; Commanders Still Inside Plant

After initial reports came out that there were soldiers from Ukraine over in Mariupol who surrendered, a new update alleges that about 700 more have done the same.

And similar to that previous report, the fate of this new batch of surrendering soldiers remains unknown.

Also, there were allegedly commanders still holed up in the Azovstal steelworks plant.

"The state is making utmost efforts to carry out the rescue of our servicemen. Let's wait. Currently, the most important thing is to save the lives of our heroes," military spokesman Oleksandr Motuzaynik told a news conference. "Any information to the public could endanger that process."

With the new batch of Ukraine soldiers surrendering, the total has now spiked to 959. For now, what awaits them remains unclear.

"Unfortunately, the subject is very sensitive and there is a very fragile set of talks going on today, therefore I cannot say anything more," Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said.

He added that President Volodymyr Zelensky, the Red Cross and the United Nations were involved in talks but gave no details.

This development comes not long after the applications of Finland and Sweden to join NATO. Russian leader Vladimir Putin has long cited as one of his main reasons for launching the "special military operation."

The surrender also puts an end to a three-month siege of the once prosperous city where more than 400,000 people reside. Tens of thousands of civilians are believed to be dead as a result of the conflict in the region.

According to Ukraine officials, a prisoner swap for Mariupol defenders was discussed. However, Moscow belies these claims and says that no such deal was made for the fighters.

Putin vowed to provide humane treatment to the wounded soldiers who surrender. Other high-profile Russian politicians have publicly called for them never to be exchanged, or even for their execution.

In a previous post, video footage showing buses bringing some captured fighters to both locations was reported by journalists.