Donetsk, May 18 - DAN. Fates of Ukrainian militants who surrendered at the Azovstal steelworks will be decided in court, the DPR Head Denis Pushilin said.
"As for war criminals, and those who are nationalists, if they laid down arms, their fate will be decided in court. No matter what emotions some people might feel, and I know that opinions differ, if the enemy laid down arms, his further fate is decided by a court. If it's a nationalist criminal, it's a tribunal," Pushilin said during his visit to Mariupol.
He specified that not only commanders, but also those who acted on their commands and who stick to the Nazi ideology in their actions and deeds, especially in relation to civilians, are considered war criminals.
Almost a thousand of Ukrainian militants at the Azovstal steel works have laid down arms, the DPR Territorial Defence HQ said earlier.
Mass surrender in Mariupol began on May 16 when the first group of Ukrainian militants decided to leave their besieged base at the Azovstal steel works.
Back in April, Russian President Vladimir Putin called off plans for the Russian military to storm the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, and ordered to seal it off.
Soon after, humanitarian efforts to evacuate the population of nearby neighbourhoods began.
Many of the armed men who set up positions at the Azovstal are members of a Neo-Nazi Azov armed formation (banned in the DPR). *ot