On May 21, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview with the host of the United News national telethon that defenders of Mariupol, withdrawn from the Azovstal plant blocked by Russian troops, should be released under an exchange procedure.

“The guys received a signal from the military that they have every right to come out and save their lives.

The military command passed all this to all those blocked at Azovstal.

Then everything depends on what the UN, the Red Cross, the Russian Federation have taken on, that they (the fighters) will be safe and will wait for one or another format of exchange. "

Zelensky confirmed that all civilians, medics and the seriously injured had been taken out of Azovstal, and said that "in the near future, not even one day, the removal of all Azovstal will be completed."

According to Zelensky, this process is led by Ukrainian intelligence.

"Today, I think so: the process led by today's intelligence will end - the removal, removal (defenders) and preparation for dialogue, exchange and the like - we will take them home.

This is what we must do together with the partners who took responsibility, "- said Zelensky.

In the evening of May 20, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the Azovstal plant in Mariupol had come under the control of Russian troops.

The Russian agency claims that a total of 2,439 Ukrainian servicemen who were on the territory of the plant "surrendered".