The Sentinel

Civilians flee from Russia ‘plant raid’

-

RUSSIAN forces began storming a sprawling steel plant in the besieged port city of Mariupol on Tuesday, Ukrainian officers said, as a convoy carrying dozens of civilians evacuated from the facility over the weekend arrived in the relative safety of a Ukrainian-controlled city.

Osnat Lubrani, the UN humanitari­an coordinato­r for Ukraine, said in a statement that, thanks to the evacuation effort: “One hundred and one women, men, children and older persons could finally leave the bunkers below the Azovstal steelworks and see the daylight after two months.”

The news for those left behind was more grim. The deputy commander of the Azov Regiment holed up in the plant told The Associated Press that Russian forces were storming the facility, which includes a warren of undergroun­d tunnels and bunkers. Another Ukrainian officer confirmed the assault on Ukrainian television.

“The enemy is trying to storm the Azovstal plant with significan­t forces using armoured vehicles. Our fighters are repelling all attacks,” Denys Shlega, commander of the 12th Operationa­l Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard who is also currently at Azovstal, said.

On the messaging app Telegram, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment, Sviatoslav Palamar, said the Russians were mounting a heavy assault on the plant with “the support of armoured vehicles and tanks, with attempts to land troops from boats and a large number of infantry”.

“We’ll do everything that’s possible to repel the assault, but we’re calling for urgent measures to evacuate the civilians that remain inside the plant and to bring them safely,” he said.

He added that throughout the night, the plant was hit with naval artillery fire and airstrikes. Two civilian women were killed and 10 civilians were wounded, he added.

The assault began almost two weeks after Russian president Vladimir Putin ordered his military not to storm the plant, but rather block it off.

It also came as the first convoy of evacuees from the plant arrived in the Ukrainianc­ontrolled city of Zaporizhzh­ia, some 140 miles (230km) northwest of Mariupol.

At a reception centre, stretchers and wheelchair­s were lined up, children’s shoes dangled from a shopping trolley and a pile of toys waited for the first convoy of civilians whose evacuation was being overseen by the United Nations and Red Cross.

The arrival of buses and ambulances was good news in the nearly 10-week conflict that has killed thousands, forced millions to flee the country, laid waste to towns and cities, and shifted the post-cold War balance of power in eastern Europe.

In addition to the 101 people evacuated from the steelworks, another 58 people joined the convoy in a town on the outskirts of Mariupol.

 ?? CHRIS MCGRATH/GETTY ?? A woman from Mariupol cries after arriving at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and the surroundin­g towns under Russian control on Monday in Zaporizhzh­ia, Ukraine
CHRIS MCGRATH/GETTY A woman from Mariupol cries after arriving at an evacuation point for people fleeing Mariupol, Melitopol and the surroundin­g towns under Russian control on Monday in Zaporizhzh­ia, Ukraine

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Kingdom