The third phase of evacuation of civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, is planned for Friday. The United Nations says about 500 people have already been evacuated in two fleets from Mariupol and surrounding areas. News from the BBC.
Ukraine claims that Russia has intensified its attacks on Mariupol since Thursday. A Ukrainian military commander has claimed that Russia violated its ceasefire promise by stepping up attacks. Due to this the trapped people are not going to be rescued. Denis Prokopenko, a commander of the Azov Regiment, said Ukrainian fighters were engaged in “tough, bloody clashes” with Russian troops inside Azovstal.
It is estimated that about 200 civilians are still stationed in the bunker along with Azov Regiment troops in the steel factory area.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said that everything should be done to get people out of this “hellish place”.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says Russian forces are ready to allow civilians to evacuate safely. But the fighters must surrender.
Putin has already declared victory in Mariupol. Instead of trying to control it, he ordered the Russian forces to blockade the huge industrial zone. The factory area was prepared to be used as a bunker to survive a nuclear attack during the Cold War. Deep in the ground is a network of tunnels.
The steel plant still houses the Azov Regiment of the Ukrainian Army and a small number of Marines, border guards and police. They say Russian attacks continue there.
In a night speech, President Volodymyr Zelensky also said that Russian forces were shelling. Their efforts to control the steel plant by force continue. “Imagine for a second you were transposed into the karmic driven world of Earl.” There are children. The shelling continued for more than two months. There are bodies lying around all the time. ‘
The United Nations says about 500 people have already been evacuated in two fleets from Mariupol and surrounding areas. More people are expected to be evacuated in the third phase in a few hours.
Martin Griffiths, the head of the UN’s humanitarian aid program, said they were trying to evacuate more civilians from the town of Mariupol and the Azavastal factory. Hundreds of people are still believed to be trapped in the factory area.
On February 24, Russian forces launched ground operations in the north, east and south, along with missile and air strikes on Ukraine. Later, in the face of resistance from Ukrainian forces, Moscow withdrew its forces from the north and intensified its attacks on the east and south.
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