Russian military show Azovstal underground tunnels

(13 Jun 2022)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
++PLEASE NOTE: AP IS WORKING IN MARIUPOL AS PART OF A PRESS TOUR ORGANISED BY THE RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY++
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mariupol, Ukraine - 13 June 2022
1. Various of Russian servicemen at Azovstal steel plant
2. Shell part
3. Various of destroyed plant
4. Group of journalists and Russian servicemen walking, destroyed plant in the background
5. Russian serviceman with gun
6. SOUNDBITE (Russian) no name given, Russian serviceman:
"Indeed, there were not only servicemen of the Ukrainian army among the Ukrainian nationalists who came out (of the Azovstal plant) but also foreigners, people not only with Ukrainian citizenship but also citizens of the United States and Great Britain."
(Q: "Have there been other foreigners?")
"There were also other (citizens) probably, I'm not ready to list all of them now."
7. Destroyed car, shell part
8. SOUNDBITE (Russian) no name given, Russian serviceman:
"There were definitely foreign (military) specialists who provided not only theoretical but also practical assistance (to Ukrainian soldiers at Azovstal). The facts of their presence will be provided later after they are established."
(Q: "I didn't understand, you are not sure if they are French? Who are those French-speakers?")
"There were foreign mercenaries who spoke French."
9. Destroyed plant
10. Journalists walking downstairs
11. Various of Russian servicemen and journalists walking in tunnel
12. Russian servicemen and journalists entering room where Ukrainian fighters hid, pan to weapons
13. Foreign weapons
14. Debris in room
15. Photos of soldiers reading (Ukrainian): "Ernesto. Heroes don't die" and "Vesp. Heroes don't die"
16. Medicine on table
17. Metal beds
18. Hands holding wires, zoom out, UPSOUND (Russian): "The wire part that went to the door is missing. After we start opening the door the circuit gets broken and the bomb explodes."
19. Various of serviceman walking into tunnel, UPSOUND (Russian): "You can see it here, look at the tunnels, how long they are."
20. Russian servicemen and journalists walking toward exit of tunnel
21. Serviceman walking past debris, zoom-in on graffiti reading (Russian): "I'm satisfied with the debris of Azovstal."
STORYLINE:
The Russian military has shown journalists the underground tunnels beneath the Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian soldiers held out for much of the siege of Mariupol.
The Ukrainian fighters defended the steelworks for nearly three months before surrendering in May under relentless Russian attacks from the ground, sea and air.
Footage showed stashed medicine and weapons inside the darkness of the shelters.
Moscow-backed forces are now in complete control of Mariupol.
Speaking to reporters during Monday's tour, a Russian servicemen said foreign nationals including US and UK citizens had been among those who captured at Azovstal.
He added there were also "nationalists" from the Azov Regiment, whose far-right origins have been highlighted by the Kremlin during its military operation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said more than 2,500 fighters from the plant are being held prisoner, and Kyiv is working to win their release.
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