One of the war’s bloodiest and most high-profile battles entered its final phase on Monday, as Ukraine’s military command announced the end of combat operations in Mariupol and began working to evacuate the soldiers who held off Russian forces for weeks at a sprawling steel plant.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky praised the troops as heroes and said, “We hope that we will be able to save the lives of our guys.” A top Ukrainian defense official said more than 260 soldiers have been transported to Russian-controlled territory, including 53 who were “seriously wounded” and taken to a hospital. Moscow and Kyiv will broker a prisoner swap to secure their release, the official said, and efforts are underway to rescue the troops who remain trapped in the plant.
Even as Russia came away with an apparent victory in Mariupol, it suffered another setback on the global stage, as Sweden ended 200 years of military nonalignment to join Finland in applying for NATO membership. The Western military alliance is now considering its largest expansion in decades, and the Nordic countries’ neighbors have pledged protection through the accession process in the event of Russian retaliation.