Kyiv: Russia wants Azovstal to fall into its hands by Monday

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Russia plans to seize the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the last enclave of Ukrainian resistance in the port of strategic importance, by Monday, according to the Ukrainian government.

Oleksiy Arestovich, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, explained that Russian forces wanted the vast steel plant to fall into their hands on the 77th anniversary of the German-led Nazi regime.

“Their ‘ambition’ is to ‘take Azovstal and give (Russian President Vladimir Putin) Putin’ victory ‘on May 9,” Arestovich was quoted as saying by UNIAN news agency. “They really want it, but to see if they can do it,” he added.

According to Ukrainian sources, Ukrainian troops and hundreds of civilians are trapped in the facility. Efforts are being made to evacuate civilians with the help of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

A large military parade will be held in Moscow on Monday to mark the anniversary of the anti-fascist victory. According to reports, a parade is expected to take place in Mariupol, which was visited this week by Sergei Kiriyenko, a top Kremlin official, according to Dennis Pushilin, leader of the pro-Russian separatists in Daniec’s self-proclaimed People’s Republic.

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