Ukraine recovers bodies from Azovstal steel plant

A view of the Azovstal steel plant. Credit: AFP file photo

Russia has begun turning over the bodies of Ukrainian fighters killed at the Azovstal steelworks, the fortress-like plant in the destroyed city of Mariupol where their last-ditch stand became a symbol of resistance against Moscow's invasion.

Dozens of fighters' bodies recovered from the bombed-out mill's now Russian-occupied ruins have been transferred to the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, where DNA testing is underway to identify the remains.

That is according to Maksym Zhorin, a military commander and former leader of the Azov Regiment, which was among the Ukrainian units that defended the plant for nearly three months before surrendering.