Fierce battles over Mariupol’s last stronghold – NRK Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
At the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, fierce fighting is taking place between Ukrainian and Russian soldiers. It reports, among other things BBC.
The steelworks is the last area Ukrainian forces control in the port city of southern Ukraine.
Around 200 civilians are still seeking refuge there, among them several children.
Denis Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Battalion, says “difficult, bloody battles” are taking place in the steelworks. Propenko is a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard and heads the Azov regiment.
Palle Ydstebø, lieutenant colonel at the war school, tells NRK that the fighting in the steelworks is fierce.
– There are fights from house to house and room to room, from floor to floor. And further down the hill, from tunnel to tunnel. These are tough matches, and especially costly for the attacker, says Ydstebø.
The commander of the Azov Battalion calls the efforts of his soldiers “superhuman”.
– I am proud of soldiers who make a human effort to make a better pressure on the enemy, Prokopenko says in a message on Telegram.
The Azov regiment jumps out of a right-wing radical militia, but today fights as part of the Ukrainian National Guard. The battalion has been central in the defense of Mariupol.
Also on Russian channels, pictures of the attack on the steel plant in Mariupol are shown. It is not verified when the photos were taken.
The civilian suffering is great and the city has been hit hard by Russian attacks for a long time. On Wednesday, over 300 civilians were evacuated from the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is asking the UN to help rescue the more than 200 civilians still trapped at the Mariupol steelworks.
– The lives of the people who are still there are in danger. We ask for your help in rescuing them, Zelenskyj said as he spoke to UN Secretary-General António Guterres by telephone on Wednesday night.
– As bad as World War II
Zelenskyj spoke to Danes last night in connection with events in Copenhagen and Aarhus, where Denmark marked the anniversary of the liberation from the Second World War.
Zelensky drew parallels between the war in Ukraine and World War II and asked Danes to remember the Nazi occupation and how they won freedom when the Nazis lost the war.
At that time the world celebrated and had a hope that no evil war would ever take place again. But now war has resurfaced with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and this war is as evil as Denmark’s memory every May, the president said.
He thanked the Danes, and asked them to send a thought to the children of Ukraine who have lost their lives.
– When you light your candles tonight, I ask you to remember the Ukrainian children. The occupiers have already killed 220 children, and we do not know what the situation is in the occupied territories, he said.
Claims Ukraine holder stand
Mariupol’s rapporteur saw on Wednesday that it was no longer possible to get in touch with the Ukrainian force located in Azovstal, and that it was impossible to know what was happening and how they were doing.
According to Boychenko, there are still about 30 children waiting to be evacuated in the underground passage.
Later, a Ukrainian official said they had regained contact with the soldiers. It reported, among other things Cloud news.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba claims that the Ukrainians are still holding out against Russian troops, according to CNN.
Russia claims it will impose a ceasefire
Russia says it will impose a ceasefire to allow civilians to evacuate from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol on Thursday.
Russia’s armed forces will open a humanitarian corridor from the area to the Azovstal steelworks from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Moscow time) to evacuate civilians, a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday evening. Ukraine so far has not commented on the opinion to Russia on the potential evacuation.
Over 300 civilians escaped from Mariupol
Zelensky also thanked Guterres for the successful evacuation of about 100 civilians from the steelworks earlier this week. It took place under the auspices of the UN and the Red Cross.
More than 300 civilians arrived in Zaporizhia on Wednesday, May 4, reports the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
– We are relieved that more lives have been saved, said Pascal Hundt, ICRC’s Head of Delegation in Ukraine.