Russians strike plant where thousands sought shelter
RUSSIAN troops began storming the sprawling steel plant in besieged Mariupol yesterday as 101 civilians were evacuated.
Hundreds of people remain stranded in the Azovstal complex.
But Moscow’s forces are thought to be moving in for the kill after weeks of Ukrainian soldiers repelling them.
The raid began as a convoy of evacuees from the plant arrived in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia, 140 miles northwest.
As well as 101 evacuated, another 58 people joined the convoy in a town on the outskirts of Mariupol.
The plant, where 1,000 civilians sought shelter along with 2,000 fighters, has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to Putin’s invasion. Osnat Lubrani, UN humanitarian coordinator, said: “Thanks to the operation, 101 women, men, children and older persons could finally leave the bunkers below the steelworks and see daylight after two months.”
Dr Dorit Nizan, World Health Organization incident manager for Ukraine, said by Zoom from Zaporizhzhia: “We are ready for burns, fractures and wounds, as well as diarrhoea, respiratory infections. We are also ready to see if there are pregnant women, children with malnutrition. We are all here and the health system is well prepared.”
In Mariupol, 64-year-old resident Tatyana Bushlanova is so used to Russian bombardments that she does not flinch when shells explode.
She said: “You wake up in the morning and you cry. You cry in the evening. I don’t know where to go at all... everything is destroyed, everything is broken. Where should people go?”
At least 10 people were killed and 15 wounded by Russian shelling of a coking plant in the city of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region yesterday. Regional governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: “The Russians knew exactly where they were aiming.
“The workers had just finished their shift and were waiting at the bus stop for a bus to take them home.”
Russia did not comment on the incident. It denies targeting civilians.
Last night, it was feared Russia is preparing to blame Kyiv for a potential cholera outbreak in eastern Ukraine.
A combination of contaminated water and food could spark an epidemic, and intelligence officers believe Moscow would accuse Ukraine of a bio-attack.
The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate said Russian officials are already preparing for a Cholera outbreak by restricting mass gatherings.
The Ukrainian MOD warned Russia will likely launch a “false flag” bio-attack claim towards the end of May or in June.
Last night as many as five cruise missiles caused multiple explosions in the western city of Lviv.