A senior commander of the Ukrainian forces holed up beneath the Azovstal steelworks has said he is carrying out a decision by the military high command to save the lives of service personnel.

“The main thing is to realize all the risks, is there a plan B, are you fully committed to that plan which must allow for fulfilling the assigned tasks and preserve the lives and health of personnel? This is the highest level of overseeing troops. All the more so when your decision is endorsed by the highest military command.

Absolutely safe plans and operations don’t exist during war. All risks were considered and part of the plan included saving as many lives of personnel as possible”, - Commander Denis Prokopenko said.

The Ukrainian General Staff also said on Facebook that the Mariupol garrison has completed its mission.