They face prosecution: more than 1,000 Azovstal fighters brought to Russia

At the end of May, after weeks of fighting, more than 2,400 Ukrainian militants surrendered at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.

They face prosecution: more than 1,000 Azovstal fighters brought to Russia

At the end of May, after weeks of fighting, more than 2,400 Ukrainian militants surrendered at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. Some of them will be transferred to Russia, reports the state agency TASS. Foreign "mercenaries" could also be among the prisoners.

More than 1,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the captured steelworks in Mariupol have now been brought to Russia. The Russian law enforcement authorities are currently dealing with them, the Russian state agency TASS reported, citing security circles. Among them could be more than 100 foreign "mercenaries". More captured Ukrainian soldiers would soon be transported from the south-eastern Ukrainian port to Russia.

At the end of May, after weeks of fighting, more than 2,400 Ukrainian fighters surrendered in the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, the last bastion of the Ukrainian defenders. The Ukrainian leadership fears that the prisoners of war will be tortured and murdered. The fighters were initially held in Donbass, which is controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

Russia claims that there are particularly many neo-Nazis among the soldiers - Moscow repeatedly uses the Azov regiment, which was founded and dominated by right-wing extremists and provided many fighters in Mariupol, as justification for its war of aggression. The regiment is part of the Ukrainian National Guard - not the army. In addition, international experts regard the claim that the entire Ukrainian armed forces are infiltrated by "neo-Nazis" as untenable.

Meanwhile, the pro-Russian separatists in Donbass say they have started the trial of three foreigners from the ranks of the Ukrainian army. The Supreme Court of the Donetsk People's Republic has charged two Britons and a Moroccan with mercenary activity, the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti reported, citing a video provided by the court. The public prosecutor had previously stated that the death penalty could be imposed on the accused.