Separatist forces, The Russian-backed Azovstal steel plant in the besieged Mariupol region of Ukraine was attacked by the Russian-backed RIA news agency, quoting separatist spokesman Eduard Basurin.
The separatists aim to “liberate” the plant as soon as possible, said another separatist, Dennis Pushilin, according to RIA.
No humanitarian corridors will be opened for the evacuation of civilians
No humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians from war zones will be opened in Ukraine today, without an agreement with the Russian side, for the third consecutive day, said in the meantime the Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Irina Verestsuk. |
“Unfortunately, today, April 19, there will be no humanitarian corridors. Heavy bombardment continues in Donbass,” in eastern Ukraine, where Russian forces launched a major offensive in Kyiv on Monday, Verestsuk told Telegram.
Concerning Mariupol, “The Russians refuse to open a corridor for the exit of civilians in the direction of Berdyansk,” Verestsuk added.
“We are continuing the difficult negotiations for humanitarian corridors in the regions of Kherson (south) and Kharkiv (east),” the Ukrainian official said.
Fortified in the factory Azovstal metallurgical plant, the last Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol are fighting against a far superior opponent.
In a dramatic statement posted on Facebook, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade in Mariupol, trying to keep the Russians out of it, described the dramatic conditions in the besieged city.
He called on the West to send heavy weapons, which will strengthen the Ukrainian army’s efforts against “overwhelmingly enemy forces and continuous airstrikes.”
According to credible military analysts, the number of defenders in Mariupol does not exceed a few hundred.
The British Ministry of Defense, however, commented that “the Russian commanders will be worried about the time it will take to subdue Mariupol”. He added that the coordinated Ukrainian resistance had severely tested Russian forces, delaying the advance of Putin’s forces into other parts of Ukraine.
According to Mariupol police official Michael Versinin, there are about 100,000 people left in the city, when before the war it had about 400,000 inhabitants.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced the launch of a major Russian military offensive in eastern Ukrainereferring to the “Battle of Donbass”, part of which is under the control of pro-Russian separatists.
“We can now say that the Russian troops have started the battle of Donbass, for which they have been preparing for a long time. “A very large part of the Russian army is now focused on this attack.”Zelensky said in a video message to the Telegram.
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