Ukrainian authorities declare an end to the combat mission in Mariupol after weeks of Russian siege.

Ukrainian authorities announced late Monday an end to their combat operation in the besieged city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian fighters have held out for weeks in the face of near-constant Russian bombardment.

Ukrainian officials said that evacuations from the Azovstal steel factory had begun. The military said that 264 service members, 53 of them “seriously injured,” had been taken by bus to areas controlled by Russian forces.

“We hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a late-night video address. “I want to emphasize that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes alive.”

The Azovstal steel plant — the last stand of Ukrainian resistance in the decimated city — has become a powerful symbol of the suffering inflicted by Russia and the stalwart bravery of Ukrainian defenders. Read more

@nytimes