Fear and hope: Mariupol's defenders walk into Russian custody and an uncertain future

They have been a powerful symbol of Ukraine's defiance in the face of Moscow's brutal invasion.

But on Tuesday, most of the remaining defenders of the pulverized Azovstal steel plant in ruined Mariupol stoically walked into Russian custody — some of them carrying their wounded comrades — after nearly three months of ferocious fighting and bombardment.

The event signalled the beginning of the end of a siege which has captured the imagination of Ukrainians and the world.

For the soldiers' families, the moment was marked by a torrent of emotion — fear, relief, confusion, anger, defiance, but mostly hope.

"We didn't know what was going on and waiting is the hardest part," said Lilia Stupina, whose husband Andriy, a regular force soldier, was among the first into Azovstal as Ukrainian defenders fell back into one of the largest steel and iron works factories in Europe.

"My husband is OK and he's healthy. So, I don't know where he is now, but I believe in the best, like, I believe in the best."

She last heard from her 25-year-old husband a week ago.

On Tuesday, Russia described the event as a mass surrender. Ukrainian officials did not use that word — they said the garrison had completed its mission and that the government was working to pull out the fighters that remained.

As the Ukrainian troops — some of them belonging to the far-right Azov Regiment — left the plant, their wives and other family members held a protest in Kyiv to draw attention to their plight.

Irina Kulibaba knows her husband is alive because she received a text message from a friend and fellow soldier at the plant.

"He's OK," the text read. "Don't worry. No problems. Just wait."

More than 260 fighters left the steel plant — their last redoubt in Mariupol — on Monday and were transported to two towns controlled by Moscow-backed separatists, officials on both sides said.

An unknown number of other fighters still remain inside the ruins of the fortified steel mill that sprawls over 11 square kilometres in the otherwise Russian-held city.

"That's good news that these guys, injured guys, that they were evacuated, but Russia hates us and, of course, we didn't know what to think and how to feel about this," said Stupina.