Russia says 771 more Ukrainian soldiers surrender at Azovstal steel plant

MOSCOW, May 19 (Xinhua) -- Russia said Thursday that a new batch of 771 Ukrainian soldiers blocked at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol have surrendered over the past 24 hours.

"A total of 1,730 militants have surrendered since May 16, including 80 wounded," the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement, adding that all those in need of inpatient treatment are hospitalized in Donetsk.

The soldiers began to surrender on Monday following an agreement reached between Moscow and Kiev on the evacuation of wounded Ukrainian soldiers.

Mariupol, a key Azov Sea port city, has seen one of the worst bouts of bloody violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Azovstal plant, which covers an area of about 11 square km, is the holdout of the Ukrainian forces in Mariupol.