MOSCOW, July 5. /TASS/. A Swedish national who surrendered at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol rejected the accusations of fighting for the Ukrainian army as a mercenary on the territory of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), a source in the DPR defense circles told TASS on Tuesday.

"During the interrogation, the Swede claimed that he had neither shot nor participated in combat operations," the source said.

A TASS source earlier said that the Swedish national was pressed with criminal charges under article 430 of the DPR Criminal Code (‘Mercenary Activity’). TASS has no official comment from the law-enforcement agencies yet.

The battle of Mariupol began on February 25. Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov reported on May 20 that the Russian troops had fully liberated the territory of the Azovstal steel plant held by the Ukrainian military.