Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last Ukrainian fortress in the besieged city of Mariupol, but instead to block it, “so that not a fly passes.” The Russian president spoke with his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, in comments posted on television.
Shoigu claims that the rest of the city, largely leveled by weeks of Russian bombing, has been “liberated”, with the exception of the sprawling Azovstal steel plant, where some Ukrainian forces are still hiding.
Putin said his decision not to storm the plant was motivated by a desire to protect the lives of Russian soldiers.
The Russian president hailed the operation as “successful”, while Mr Shoigu said the plant was “probably blocked”.
But leaving the steel plants in Ukrainian hands deprives the Russians of the opportunity to declare complete victory in Mariupol, which has witnessed some of the fiercest battles of the war and whose capture has both strategic and symbolic significance.
The scale of the suffering there has made it a focal point worldwide, and its final fall will deprive Ukraine of a vital port, complete the land bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, and free Russian troops to move elsewhere in Donbass.
Ukrainian authorities say about 10,000 civilians have been killed by Russian forces in Mariupol since the start of the invasion in February, although it fears that figure could double. They accused Russia of committing war crimes in the city, although Moscow denies targeting civilians.
Earlier, a key ally of President Putin said Russian forces would take over Azovstal on Thursday. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov said the city would be under Russian control “before noon or in the afternoon”.
If Russia takes over Mariupol, it will be the largest city to fall into the hands of the Kremlin since invading Ukraine eight weeks ago. Putin’s conflict has forced more than five million people to flee abroad and turned cities into ruins.
Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Russian republic of Chechnya
(AP)
Ukrainian Marine Commander Sergei Volny said the fighters at the steel plant may not be able to survive for long, while President Vladimir Zelensky said about 1,000 civilians are still sheltering there.
Ukraine was ready for a “special round of talks” without conditions “to save our boys … military, civilians, children, alive and wounded,” negotiator Mikhail Podoliak said on Twitter.
Kyiv has offered to exchange Russian prisoners of war for the safe passage of civilians and trapped soldiers. It is not known whether Russia has responded to the proposal for special talks.
Ukraine has also tried to get Russia to agree on a humanitarian corridor to evacuate 120,000 people, who Zelenski says remain under siege in Mariupol.
This map shows the extent of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
(Images of the press association)
However, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said recent efforts to open a safe escape corridor for women, children and the elderly had failed because the Russians had not complied with the ceasefire. Many previous similar agreements have collapsed due to ongoing battles.
About 200 people were waiting to be evacuated from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Thursday, but no buses arrived by mid-afternoon, Mayor Vadim Boychenko told a briefing.
He said a small convoy of buses evacuated people from Mariupol on Wednesday and is now heading to the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhia.
Sergei Taruta, a former governor of the Donetsk region and a native of Mariupol, announced the bombing of the hospital, which he said housed 300 people, including wounded soldiers and civilians with children.
Sergei Volina, commander of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, said in a video from Azovstal’s outpost on Wednesday that his troops were outnumbered by 10 to one.
Rescuers are working on a damaged residential building in Mariupol
(Reuters)
He added: “This is our call to the world. It may be the last. We may only have a few days or hours left. The enemy units are tens of times bigger than ours, they have superiority in the air, in the artillery, in the ground forces, in the equipment and in the tanks. “
The UK Ministry of Defense said in an assessment that Russia wants to demonstrate significant success ahead of its annual Victory Day celebrations on May 9.
“This could affect how quickly and violently they try to carry out operations on the eve of this date,” the assessment said.
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