Tuesday 17 May 2022 10:37 PM Russia accused of 'double crossing' Ukraine over deal to free Azovstal ... trends now
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Russia has been accused of double crossing Ukraine as officials moved to pull back on an agreement to free captured troops from the Azovstal steelworks.
Moscow had agreed to exchange hundreds of members of the Azov Regiment – the Ukrainian unit holed up in the Soviet-era steel mill – in a prisoner swap earlier this week.
However Russia’s parliament has now announced it will vote on a resolution to ‘prevent the exchange of Nazi war criminals’ today – with some members calling for the Azov troops to be executed.
Ukraine’s deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar dismissed the threats as ‘internal propaganda’, adding that ‘an exchange procedure will take place’ as Kyiv abandons the steelworks after more than 80 days.
But experts have decried the move as ‘underhand’ and claimed it could scupper Ukraine’s bid to free the 600 soldiers – some of whom are still at the plant in Mariupol.
There are at least 250 Azov fighters who were evacuated on Monday, some of whom were seriously wounded.
Seven buses carrying an unknown number of Ukrainian troops also left the plant last night.
Searched: Russian troops frisk Ukrainian soldiers yesterday as they are evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks (This photo was taken from video released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service)
A convoy of pro-Russian troops, which escorts buses with service members of Ukrainian forces from the besieged Azovstal steel mill, drives away in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in Mariupol on Monday