Azov commander: order given to stop defending Mariupol

STORY: "The military high command have given an order to save lives and the health of the garrison’s servicemen, and to cease defending the city," Denys Prokopenko, the commander, said in the video shared by the Azov Regiment on the Telegram messaging service.

"The civilians have been evacuated. The heavily wounded received the necessary assistance and they were evacuated, to be later exchanged and delivered to territory controlled by Ukraine," Prokopenko added.

Prokopenko said the process of removing the dead from the Azovstal plant was still under way. "I hope that in the near future, relatives and Ukraine will be able to bury their soldiers with honor," he said.