There are currently 2,500 Mariupol defenders being held captive - Zelensky

This was announced by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in an interview, RBC-Ukraine reports.

Zelensky said that he does not believe the Russians would gain anything by torturing the Azovstal defenders because they have become "public hostages."

He added that he does not take seriously the statements made by the Russian authorities and the 'Donetsk terrorists' about the soldiers’ fates, as they are just trying to promote themselves.