Russia-Ukraine crisis live updates | Russian soldiers start clearing mines from Ukraine’s Azovstal

Here are the latest developments from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict

Concern mounted on May 22 over the fate of the Ukrainian fighters who became Moscow’s prisoners as Russia claimed seizure of the steel plant-turned-fortress in Mariupol, capping a nearly three-month siege that left the strategic port city in ruins and more than 20,000 city residents feared dead.

The Russian Defence Ministry released a video of Ukrainian soldiers being taken into custody after announcing that its forces had removed the last holdouts from the plant’s miles of underground tunnels. The Azovstal steel plant became a symbol of Ukrainian tenacity, and its seizure delivers Russian President Vladimir Putin a badly wanted victory in the war he began in February.

President of the United States Joe Biden on May 21 signed legislation to support Ukraine with another $40 billion in U.S. assistance as the Russian-Ukraine crisis approaches its fourth month.

Read more news on the ongoing Russia-Ukraine crisis here.

Russian soldiers cleared mines and debris on the industrial grounds of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol on Sunday after hundreds of Ukrainian forces holed up in the vast plant for weeks were ordered to stand down.

Soldiers walked through the compound and swung mine detectors over roads littered with debris, while others checked under objects for the explosive devices, video footage showed.

“The task is huge, the enemy planted their own landmines, we had also planted anti-personnel mines while blocking the enemy. So we’ve got some two weeks of work ahead of us,” said a Russian soldier. - Reuters