The situation of the last defenders of Mariupol who were buried for several weeks in the Azovstal metallurgical complex was shrouded in the thick fog of war on Thursday, kyiv and Moscow competing with conflicting statements because they were irreconcilable.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the Russian army is relentlessly bombing the gigantic factory in hopes of ending the resistance; According to Moscow, the Russian army respects the ceasefire announced on Wednesday to allow civilians to exit a humanitarian corridor.
Violent and bloody fight angera commander of the Azov regiment, Denys Prokopenko, said in a video message broadcast last night in which he mentioned the presence of Russian soldiers inside the iron works since two days.
” I am proud of my soldiers making a superhuman effort to resist enemy aggression. I thank the whole world for the tremendous support given to the Mariupol garrison. Our soldiers deserve it. “
The Russian occupiers were busy intercepting and trying to annihilate Ukrainian units in the territory of Azovstalalso supported the Ukrainian army in a statement released Thursday morning.
According to an adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry, Anton Gerashchenko, Russian forces managed to break the perimeter of the defense of the Ukrainian fighters thanks to information provided by a former electrician at the plant.
Familiar with the area, this former employee will show the Russian army how to enter the enclosure that stretches for approximately 10 square kilometers thanks to tunnels, he explained on social media and in interviews with journalists.
Gerashchenko said the attack on the Azovstal complex was due to the Kremlin’s desire to officially declare victory in Mariupol on Monday, a day commemorating the victory of the Soviet Union and its allies against Nazi Germany.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that the Russian army respected the ceasefire announced the day before allowing the evacuation of civilians who also took refuge in the plant’s bomb shelters.
This ceasefire, along with the opening of a humanitarian corridor, must be in effect in the plant area from 8 am to 6 pm local time (1 am to 11 am EDT), for the days of Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The corridors work there nowsaid Mr. Peskov.
Later, the deputy commander of the Azov regiment tried to rule out any possibility that Russian strikes took place before stopping to allow the evacuation of civilians, believed to number 200, according to the mayor of Mariupol.
The Russians did not respect their promise of a ceasefire and did not allow the evacuation of civiliansSviatoslav Palamar explicitly said in a Telegram message published in the middle of the afternoon, a few hours after the announced start of the ceasefire.
Russia’s Defense confirmed on Tuesday that it had launched a new attack on Azovstal, after a brief silence that allowed the evacuation of more than 100 civilians who took refuge in Azovstal’s bomb shelters.
Instead, Mr. Peskov said Wednesday that he was no pain to Azovstal, in accordance with President Putin’s decision, which explicitly ordered his army to besiege the last defenders of Mariupol on April 21. He reiterated that view on Thursday morning.
In his daily video message, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that 344 people had been evacuated on Wednesday from Mariupol and its environs to Zaporizhia, a Ukrainian-held city 230 km away.
Ukrainians are ready to keep the ceasefire around Azovstal, he added, warning that it would be difficult to evacuate the remaining civilians.
It will take time to get these people out of these basements, these underground shelters. Currently we cannot use heavy equipment to evacuate the rubble (which has accumulated on the surface). Everything has to be done manuallyhe explained.
Source: Radio-Canada
