The Ukrainian army announced that the fighting continued in the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol (southeast).
“The Russian occupiers are busy blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units in the territory of Azovstal”, the Ukrainian military said in a statement this morning. According to her, the troops in Moscow have “resumed the offensive with the support of planes to take control of the factory”.
This statement comes as Moscow announced last night that its forces would cease fire for three consecutive days, starting this morning, to allow the evacuation of some two hundred civilians still present in Azovstal.
Lieutenant-Colonel Denys Prokopenko, who commands the soldiers of the Azov regiment entrenched in the steelworks, for his part indicated in a video released last night that Russian forces had succeeded in entering the steelworks where “violent and bloody fighting” were in progress. “For two days, the enemy managed to enter the premises of the factory, did he declare. I am proud of my soldiers who make superhuman efforts to resist the onslaught of the enemy. I am grateful to the whole world for the colossal support given to the Mariupol garrison. Our soldiers deserve it”he adds.
The Azovstal steelworks, a huge steel complex criss-crossed by underground networks, is the last pocket of resistance by Ukrainian fighters against the Russian army which has besieged this strategic port since the beginning of March. His surrender or capture would be an important victory for Moscow.