Mariúpol lives decisive hours. Whether or not the city falls under Russian control is limited to the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold
Ukrainian fighters are holed up in the huge Azovstal steel plant in the middle from the shattered city, which has become Mariupol’s last pocket of resistance. The seizure of the plant by Russian forces would mean the fall of the city and a huge victory for Moscow.
Russian forces are now attempting to storm the plant premises after Ukrainian fighters ignored on Sunday Russia’s ultimatum to surrender or die, as noted by the AP news agency.
The Russian Defense Ministry issued on Tuesday a new statement calling on Ukrainian forces and foreign fighters inside to surrender before noon Moscow time (09: 00GMT). “Everyone who lays down their arms is guaranteed to stay alive”.
Eduard Basurin, who represents the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic and is backed by Russia, he told the Russian television channel 17 that the aviation and artillery are helping “assault groups” to take the facilities.
Civilians
The Ukrainian authorities They say that there are more than a thousand people hidden in the bunkers and tunnels under the plant
Justin Crump, a military expert at security consultancy Sybilline, told the BBC that there could be between 300 Y 800 Ukrainian soldiers resisting in the city and added that the steelworks, which covers an area of 11 square km, was built “to survive a nuclear conflict”.
Mariupol has lived through weeks of siege since President Vladimir Putin gave the green light to invade Ukraine. Attacks on civilian buildings, including the city theater and a maternity hospital, have involved civilians. Ukrainian authorities put the death toll in the thousands.
Capturing Mariupol is seen as a great strategic prize for Russia. The city has an important port on the Sea of Azov and its control by Russia would mean dominating a corridor between the Do regionnbás, in eastern Ukraine, with the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014.
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The steel mill has tunnels and bunkers where there are Ukrainians hiding.
The Ukrainian service of the BBC assures that the situation in Mariupol is very difficult, with destroyed houses and a shortage of water. The Russians are also trying to restrict the movement of locals around the city, as well as completely prohibit entry and exit from it.
Mariupol Mayor’s adviser Petro Andryushchenko said on Sunday that the Russian military was issuing “passes” to people who remained in the city.
“Hundreds of citizens have to line up to obtain a pass, without which from next week it will be impossible not only to move between city districts, but also to be on the street,” Andryushchenko said.
In an interview with the American network ABC, the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmyhal, said that the defenders of the city will fight against the Russian forces to the end; this despite the fact that Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured that Russia chose to raze Mariupol to the ground.
“The city has not yet fallen,” said Andryushchenko. “There are still our military forces, our soldiers, so they will fight to the end. And for now, they are still in Mariupol.”
In an intelligence report disclosed in the past 18 in April, the British Ministry of Defense said that “ Russian commanders will be worried about how long it’s taking to beat Mariupol. The concerted resistance of the Ukrainians is harshly testing the Russian forces and forcing them to divert men and materiel, slowing their advance elsewhere”
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Buildings in Mariupol have been destroyed and there is a shortage of water. The authorities ask for a humanitarian corridor for civilians.
Brokers
Ukraine demanded that Russian troops open humanitarian corridors from Mariupol to allow wounded Ukrainian civilians and military to leave, but did not carry out a large-scale evacuation.
“We demand an urgent humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal plant for women, children and other civilians,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told through a post on Telegram.
Ukrainian authorities have stated that Russia is conducting residents of Mariupol to its territory. Russia has traditionally rejected all accusations of inhumane treatment of civilians. Instead, the British Ministry of Defense compared the Russians’ actions in Mariupol with their tactics in Chechnya in 1280 and in Syria at 2016.
According to local authorities, enter 20 Y 22 a thousand civilians could die in Mariupol.
While the defenders of Mariupol continue to resist, the Ukrainian authorities deny the possibility of any territorial concession to Russia.
In an interview with CNN, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine will not give up its eastern territories to end the war.
“Ukraine and its people are clear about it. We have no right to anyone else’s territories, but we are not going to give up our own,” he said.
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Zelensky assured that Ukraine will not cede its territories in the east.
The The Ukrainian army will fight against Russia in Donbas, and this “will be decisive for the war,” Zelensky said.
According to him, it is also impossible to be sure that Russia will not resume the offensive on kyiv if it manages to take control of the territory in Donbas.
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