Kiev government now fears for the lives of soldiers and wounded trapped without medicine under Russian siege in Azovstal
The drama of the siege of the Azovstal factory in Mariúpol ended this Saturday for the women, children and the elderly who had been sheltering in the galleries for weeks. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced on Telegram that “this part of the humanitarian operation has been completed” after the convoys were able to evacuate 50 people since Friday afternoon. The departure of the civilians came at a human cost: three soldiers were killed by a rocket attack on some vehicles. According to Kiev, Russian troops have systematically violated the two-day ceasefire agreed on Thursday.
The uncertainty now moves to the fighters who still resist in the labyrinth of ships and tunnels of the metallurgical complex, which continues under a hail of bombs dropped from the sky and tanks. During the evacuation of civilians, several members of the Azov battalion went out with white flags, fueling rumors of a possible surrender. This possibility was later ruled out by official army sources, according to which the defenders continued a fierce battle with the Russian units. In fact, the government requested the intervention of international diplomacy to save the lives of these soldiers and prevent the conquest of Azovstal from ending in bloodshed.
The resistance in the steel factory has become the symbol of the resistance of an entire country. With the city of Mariúpol almost completely conquered after a long siege that began in late February, practically at the beginning of the invasion, hundreds of soldiers and civilians took refuge in the factory, in one of the most brutal humanitarian dramas of this war along with the massacre in bucha. At least, from what is known about her so far.
Without food, water or electricity, the UN, the Red Cross and the government launched a massive rescue operation earlier this month for the last 500 civilians left in the facilities. After three phases and continuous interruptions to humanitarian corridors due to Russian bombing, the transfer of the most vulnerable refugees ended this Saturday, though the tragedy continues. The military now fears the plight of dozens of wounded trapped in Azovstal without any form of medication, convinced the Kremlin is taking advantage of this pain to pressure the soldiers to surrender.
In addition to persevering in the factory siege, the Russians are continuing this Saturday to make some progress in southern and eastern Ukraine. Of course, without the slightest hint of the major offensive that Kiev and the West predicted to achieve conquests that would celebrate the victory on Monday’s Russian Day. As the rehearsal for the May 9 parade was held in Moscow this Saturday and speculation that President Vladimir Putin would make a pertinent announcement regarding the war, his troops launched half a dozen rockets over the port of Odessa and intensified the attacks. in the Donbas.
The Ukrainian high command acknowledged that the invaders had added some targets in their systematic destruction of logistics centers – the artillery destroyed a warehouse with weapons supplied by western countries – and blew up three bridges northeast of Kharkov to prevent counter-attacks. Ukrainian forces, for their part, used drones to sink an amphibious landing craft off Snake Island, where they also knocked out a Russian frigate on Friday.
Germany has strengthened security in anticipation of incidents during the pro-Russian demonstrations staged this Sunday and Monday to mark the anniversary of the Capitulation of the Third Reich. The Berlin government has counted fifty calls, some promoted by far-right groups and others by sympathizers of Russia. One of the most popular events is held near the Brandenburg Gate, where usually thousands of people pay tribute to the 80,000 Soviet soldiers who fell in the Battle of Berlin. Authorities have banned the display of Russian and Ukrainian flags in several acts to avoid provocations, sparking a protest this Saturday by Ukrainian Ambassador Andriy Melnik, who described it as a “blow” to his country.
Source: La Verdad
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