The Russian military has captured 265 Ukrainian fighters from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol since Monday, it said.
"In the past 24 hours, 265 fighters, including 51 seriously wounded, have laid down their weapons and were taken into captivity," Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
The numbers differ slightly from Kiev's information, which spoke of 264 prisoners, among them 53 seriously injured.
The Russian ministry published a video showing the capture of the Ukrainians, medical treatment being administered and the injured being taken away.
Ayer comenzó la rendición de los militantes de la unidad nacionalista Azov y de los militares 🇺🇦 bloqueados en la planta #Azovstal.
En las últimas 24h, 265 combatientes han depuesto armas y se han entregado como prisioneros, de los cuales 51 están gravemente heridos -@mod_russia pic.twitter.com/OkoM5sSyeY— Rusia en España (@EmbajadaRusaES) May 17, 2022
Moscow, however, did not mention whether a proposed prisoner exchange with Kiev will actually take place.
Injured fighters were taken to a hospital in Novoazovsk, Konashenkov said.
Konashenkov did not give any information on the whereabouts of the other prisoners. According to Ukrainian reports, they are supposed to be taken to the village of Olenivka, near the front line.
Novoazovsk, controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014, is located east of Mariupol, on the border with Russia.
Civilians evacuated
Mariupol was surrounded shortly after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, with Ukrainian defenders holed up in the Azovstal steel plant as Russian troops gradually took control of the city.
Hundreds of civilians had been evacuated from the plant site in recent days.
Meanwhile, in the western Russian region of Kursk, on the border with Ukraine, several buildings were attacked by the Ukrainian side, according to Russian sources.
"Today, at 5 o'clock in the morning, the border village of Alexeyevka in the Glushkovo district was shelled with heavy weapons," Kursk Governor Roman Starovoyt announced on Tuesday.
Three houses, a school and a vehicle were damaged. There were no casualties.
