Preparations for the evacuation of soldiers from Azovstal continue. The occupants do not want to compromise and refuse the procedure for the extraction of Mariupol defenders. At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities offer the Russian Federation to conduct a prisoner exchange operation and evacuate wounded fighters from the plant in the first place.
On May 11, the Russian side was offered to exchange wounded Ukrainian servicemen for captured Russian military. On Thursday, a new round of negotiations began with the participation of the UN and the Red Cross.
According to the Minister for the reintegration of the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk, it is planned to conduct a special operation in several stages. During the first stage, seriously wounded Ukrainian servicemen are to be evacuated from the plant.
According to the results of the negotiations, a document with an evacuation roadmap is expected to be signed. Turkey acts as a mediator.
According to President Vladimir Zelensky, in addition to Turkey, Israel and Switzerland are also working on the release of Mariupol defenders.
At the same time, fighters from Azovstal call for the implementation of the extraction procedure for their evacuation.
At the moment Ukraine is negotiating with the Russian Federation on the evacuation of 38 wounded fighters, who are in bed rest.
According to Irina Vereshchuk, the negotiations are "very complicated." "We are working step by step. We will exchange 38 wounded, then we will move on. Now there are no negotiations on the exchange of 500 or 600 people, as reported by some media," - said the Minister
Earlier, the military from Mariupol reported that there are 600 fighters with injuries in the territory of the combine, but their number is growing because of the continuous assault.
Russia did not agree to extradite the military from Azovstal and demanded only their surrender.
In particular, Turkey in talks with Russia offered to evacuate Mariupol defenders to its territory, but Moscow did not agree to Ankara's initiative. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the occupiers were ready to release civilians and that the military should surrender.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the possibility of the withdrawal of wounded military from Azovstal, citing the words of Russian President Putin.
According to Peskov's statement, the talk was that civilians could leave the territory of the plant in the direction of their choice. The military can also leave, but by laying down their weapons. They will be treated "accordingly, and the wounded will be provided with medical assistance.
Extrication is a special tactical operation to quickly move military or civilians from the scene of hostilities to safety with the involvement of a neutral third party and international support.
A similar procedure called "Dynamo" was carried out by Allied forces during the siege of Dunkirk during World War II.
In June 1940, during the Battle of France, rescue ships evacuated British, French, and Belgian military personnel by sea who were completely surrounded by Nazi German troops.
Civilians who had been hiding at Azovstal from shelling were able to leave the plant.
The deputy commander of the Azov regiment, Svyatoslav Palamar, said on May 12 that all civilians who were with the fighters and about whom they were taking care had left the plant.
However, according to Pavel Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk OVA, there were still more than 100 civilians at Azovstal.
Meanwhile, more than a thousand soldiers and officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, National Guard, National Police, SBU, Border Guard, and the Defense Ministry continue to defend the territory of the steel plant in Mariupol.
