‘Heavy fighting’ in east as Kyiv tries fresh Mariupol evacuation
Kyiv says more than 100 civilians were evacuated over the weekend from the Azovstal plant
ZAPORIZHZHIA: Ukrainian authorities were hoping on Monday to evacuate more civilians from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, as Russia’s offensive in the east of Ukraine continued with “active and heavy” fighting.
Kyiv said more than 100 civilians were evacuated over the weekend from the sprawling Azovstal plant, the last holdout of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, which has been surrounded by Russian forces since they invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The civilians were awaited on Monday in Ukraine-controlled Zaporizhzhia, where vehicles from Unicef and other international NGOS were on standby.
In coordinated efforts between Ukraine, Russia and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), another evacuation had been scheduled to start first thing on Monday.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said later on Monday the evacuation was “under way” but declined to give more details until it was complete. Several hundred Ukrainian soldiers and civilians have been sheltering in the maze of Soviet-era underground tunnels underneath the Azovstal steelworks, many of whom require medical attention.
Heavy fighting
After failing to take the capital Kyiv in the first few weeks of the war, Moscow’s army has refocused on the east of Ukraine, notably the Donbas region, which includes the pro-russian separatist areas of Donetsk and Lugansk.
Fighting is particularly intense around Izyum, Lyman and Rubizhne, as the Russians prepare their attack on Severodonetsk, the last easterly city still held by Kyiv, Ukraine’s general staff said. “The situation in the Lugansk region can be described in a few words - active and heavy fighting continues,” the defence ministry added.
2 Russian boats sunk
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s defence ministry said on Monday that its drones had sunk two Russian patrol boats near the Black Sea’s Snake Island, which became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance after soldiers there rebuffed Russian demands to surrender.
“The Bayraktars are working,” said Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, the commander in chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, referring to Turkish-made military drones.
More than 5.5mn people have fled Ukraine since the war began on February 24, the UN Refugee Agency reported on Monday.
Ukraine has formally closed its four Black and Azov sea ports, which Russian forces have captured, the Ukrainian agriculture ministry said on Monday.
The Azov Sea ports of Mariupol, Berdiansk and Skadovsk and the Black Sea port of Kherson were closed “until the restoration of control”, it said.
The UN human rights office said on Monday that the death toll of civilians in Ukraine has crossed 3,000 since the start of the Russian invasion.
Attack on Ukraine