Ukrainian troops are evacuating a steel plant they've been defending from Russia for weeks. Many are said to be severely injured, and their president says the nation's heroes must be kept alive.

The Azovstal plant in the southeastern city of Mariupol has witnessed some of the bloodiest fighting since the start of the invasion in late February. Ukraine's military says the troops have fulfilled their mission. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants a quick evacuation, considering the casualties.

Ukraine's deputy defense minister said on Monday 53 heavily wounded fighters had been taken to a hospital in a Russian-controlled town in Donetsk. Another 211 were evacuated through a humanitarian corridor.

The deputy minister says they could become part of a potential prisoner exchange.

In Moscow, the defense ministry says 265 Ukrainian fighters and troops had "surrendered."

Russia is close to capturing Mariupol in its entirety. The mayor told NHK on Monday about 90 percent of the city is now occupied. And he says more than 100-thousand civilians are still stranded.

In the United States, a senior Defense Department official says Russia is likely to keep focusing on the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

But the official says those troops are not making significant territorial gains.
Britain's defense ministry expects Russia will attempt to regain momentum by resorting to intensive artillery strikes in the coming weeks.

The humanitarian crisis deepens by the day. The UN refugee agency says about 6.26 million people have fled Ukraine.

The invasion is prompting Finland and Sweden to end their long-held neutral positions by joining NATO.

But Russia's foreign minister struck an indifferent tone, despite Moscow previously saying the Western alliance should not expand.

Sergey Lavrov said, "Finland, Sweden and other neutral countries have been participating in NATO military exercises for years."

Lavrov says Russia will see how NATO uses the territories of Sweden and Finland before "making conclusions."

US President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet the leaders of the two countries in Washington on Thursday.

They are expected to discuss NATO membership and European security.