Ukraine proposed a “special round of talks” in Russia on Wednesday in Mariupol to rescue “civilians and soldiers,” two Ukrainian negotiators said.
Kyiv is ready to hold a “special round of talks” with Moscow in the besieged city of Mariupol unconditionally, Ukrainian negotiator Mikhail Pontolyak said in a Twitter message.
“Pontoliak clarified that the talks could be” face to face. Two by two. To save our children, (the battalion) Azov, the military, the civilians, the children, the living and the wounded, “he wrote. negotiator and adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“We are ready to come with Mikhail Pontoliak at any time for these negotiations, as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side,” Ukrainian negotiator David Arahamia told the Telegram.
After weeks of fighting, the city appears to be falling into the hands of Russian forces, who have intensified their blows, according to one of the Ukrainian military commanders besieged in Mariupol.
“The enemy has ten times the strength of us,” said Sergei Volina of the 36th Marine Brigade.
According to President Zelensky, the Ukrainian soldiers who are fortified in the huge Azovstal steel plant, the last pocket of resistance in the city, “protect at the cost of their lives (…) almost a thousand civilians, women and children”.
Humanitarian corridors in Mariupol did not work – Tens of thousands of civilians trapped while the Russian pounding continues
Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the city of Mariupol, while Russian forces continue to pound by any means, with the aim of exterminating the last Ukrainian fighters and complete occupation of the strategic port of the Azov Sea.
According to reports from various sources, the opening of humanitarian corridors agreed between Moscow and Kiev to evacuate the city “did not work as it should.” resulting in just 6,000 people being transported to a safe environmentaway from bombings, hunger and thirst.
The tragedy that tens of thousands of people are still experiencing in Mariupol was confirmed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke of 120,000 trapped citizens. The Ukrainian President, in his statements after the meeting he had with the President of the European Council Charles Michel, also admitted that at least 1,000 civilians are in the basements of the Azovstal steel plantwithout knowing their fate.
According to Mr. Zelensky, the Ukrainian forces do not have enough weapons to defend themselves and defeat the Russians in Mariupol, effectively announcing the fall of the city in the coming days.
The battle of Ukraine on maps – Divide and control of the east shows the moves
The “secession” of eastern Ukraine and the imposition of an “autonomous regime” under the influence of Moscow was allegedly set by Vladimir Putin from the very beginning as his main goal, ordering his troops to invade Ukrainian territory. on February 24th. Nearly two months later, the Russian president’s intent is becoming clearer to international analysts, and Moscow is no longer hiding its plans, urging the West to recognize the autonomy of the regions it seems to control with its army and the annexation of Crimea and officially as part of Russian territory.
Maps depicting the movements and occupation of Ukrainian territory by Russian troops reinforce the scenario of the division of Ukraine. The control of Eastern Ukraine and the secession of Kiev from the Black Sea and the Sea of Azovcombined with the absence of Western powers (NATO) from central and northern Ukrainemeans the weakening of the country and its dependence on the decisions of the Kremlin, which seeks to redefine the balances and balance of power in the wider region.
The data we have from the war in Ukraine show us that Putin wants to control the areas of Ukraine located on the border with Russia, creating a “security zone”, as they call it. It is a 480 km long front, starting from Kharkov and extending to Hersonissos and Mykolaifwhile in a next phase of military operations, the confinement of Odessa is not ruled out, in order to “exclude” any exit of Ukraine to the sea.
The map below shows the areas under Russian control after 56 days of war.
The goal is the occupation of Donbas
The Russian military administration no longer hides that its goal is the “liberation”, as they call it, of Donetsk and Lugansk (Donbass), along with the surrounding areas.
The movements of the Russian troops show just that. The movements start from the border with Russia, in the direction of the interior and the zone that they have set as a border in Moscow.
Little progress to the south
In contrast to the eastern provinces, Russian troops in the south appear to be moving at a slower pace, retaining the territories they have conquered so far and hitting strategic targets.
International analysts estimate that this is a preparation for another front, which will be fully activated when the conquest of Donbass is completed. In other words, Putin’s plan seems to include Odessa as the next “station” and not Kyiv, as Volodymyr Zelensky and his associates fear.
Mariupol is completely surrounded
Mariupol is a key city for Russian companies, as it is the largest port in the Azov Sea and connects Donbass with the southern and western regions.
According to all indications, the fall of Mariupol is a matter of time and will be achieved soon. In conjunction with the occupation of Melitopolis, the Russians fully control the corridor from Donbass to Crimea.
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