Azov Battalion commander announces end of resistance

A video message from the commander of Ukraine's Azov* regiment Denis Prokopenko announcing the end of Azovstal resistance has appeared on the Internet.

In the video, Prokopenko says that Ukraine's top military leadership ordered to end the defense of Mariupol.

Civilians and seriously wounded individuals were evacuated from the territory of the Azovstal steel plant, he noted. The latter, the Azov* commander said, would receive the required assistance before they could be exchanged and brought back to the territory of Ukraine.

On May 19, it was reported that deputy commander of Azov* battalion, Svyatoslav Palamar, (Kalina), had surrendered. According to military correspondent Dmitry Steshin, Kalina left the territory of Azovstal on the evening of May 18.

Sergei Volynsky (Volyna), the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) left the territory of the besieged steel plant as well.

*extremist group, banned in Russia