Russia storms into Mariupol steelworks
Fears for children trapped in tunnels as remaining defenders lose contact
THERE were fears for dozens of children trapped inside the Mariupol steelworks last night after officials lost contact with the last Ukrainian defenders of the plant.
Hundreds of civilians were stuck as Russian forces dropped huge bombs on the Azovstal site and soldiers stormed the tunnels being used as hiding places in a blistering assault.
Ukrainian officials said they had lost touch with the remaining fighters from the Azov Battalion that have been holding their positions for weeks amid a relentless onslaught.
The city’s exiled mayor Vadym Boichenko said more than 30 children were still holed up at the site, which is Ukraine’s last foothold in the port city.
He warned that Ukrainian authorities had lost contact with the soldiers who are stationed at the sprawling steelworks and that he had no way of knowing ‘what’s going on, whether they are safe or not’, adding: ‘There are heavy battles on the territory of our fortress, on the territory of Azovstal.
‘Our brave guys are defending this fortress, but it is very difficult, because heavy artillery and tanks are firing all over the fortress. Planes are attacking, ships have approached and are also firing on the fortress.’
Aerial footage showed Russian bombs pounding the steel complex at the heart of the besieged city which is a key target in Vladimir Putin’s invasion.
The images, released by pro-Russian militia from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, showed lines of rocket artillery cutting through factories and warehouses in the centre of the plant. After the bombing raid, Russian fighters appeared to have entered the maze of tunnels under the site to flush out the last 2,000 Ukrainian troops from the complex.
But last night Russia said it would pause its heavy bombardment for 12 hours from this morning to allow ‘humanitarian corridors from the Azovstal steelworks to evacuate civilians’.
Ukraine’s government had previously been calling for the ceasefire to be extended so that all civilians could be removed, after more than 100 were allowed to leave at the weekend. But Russia had renewed its attack after it accused Kyiv’s troops of ‘taking advantage’ of the break in fighting to set up new defensive positions.
Before communications were cut, Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Battalion, said an assault on the steelworks had begun on Tuesday with Russian tanks, armoured vehicles, boats and ‘large numbers of infantry’ moving in.
‘We will do everything possible to repel this assault,’ he said in his last video message. If Azovstal falls, then it will mean Russia seizing control over the whole of Mariupol, making it the largest city to be captured by Putin’s forces. The plant is surrounded by Russian soldiers.
More of those who had managed to flee Mariupol and its surrounding areas arrived in Zaporizhzhia yesterday. Hryhorii, a member of the Ukrainian military, kissed his wife Oksana, who he had not seen for nearly a year after she fled from the Russian-occupied village of Novomykhailivka.
Ukraine accused Russia of planning to hold a macabre military parade in Mariupol on May 9 to celebrate victory over the Nazis in the Second World War.
More than 20,000 civilians have been killed there since Putin invaded on February 24. Kyiv said an official from Russia’s presidential administration had arrived in the strategic southern port city, which has been largely destroyed in the conflict.
‘Mariupol will become a centre of celebration,’ Ukraine’s military intelligence said on social media. ‘The central streets of the city are urgently being cleaned of debris, bodies and unexploded ordnance. A largescale propaganda campaign is under way. Russians will be shown stories about the “joy” of locals on meeting the occupiers.’
‘Doing everything to repel them’