International press review
Headline: Battle of Mariupol ends, Ukrainian resistance surrenders
Audio 04:01
Buses carrying Ukrainian fighters who surrendered after holed up for weeks in the Azovstal steelworks take to the road under pro-Russian army escort, in Mariupol, Ukraine, May 17, 2022. © REUTERS/ Alexander Ermoshenko
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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By the hundreds, the "
last defenders of Mariupol lay down their arms, after weeks of fierce resistance in the sprawling steelworks of Azovstal
", headlines the
Wall Street Journal
.
An “
evacuation ordered by the Ukrainian command
”, argues Kiev while Moscow speaks
of “a massive surrender
”, reports for its part
El Pais
.
Faced with the "
glorious defeat of the heroes of Azvostal
" whose fight has become "
the symbol of heroism in the face of the Russian invasion
", the
Guardian
tells us , Russia boasts of its victory.
"
His main victory in 82 days of combat
", notes
El Pais
who believes, like many daily newspapers, "
that the fall of Mariupol is now inevitable
".
"
It's the fall of a symbol
", similarly headline
Le Temps
and
Le Soir.
“
Mariupol, the martyred city, encircled and pounded relentlessly for 3 months is the symbol of a barbaric siege strategy by Russia
“, comments the Belgian daily.
But his fall is also "
strategic
", emphasizes
Le Temps,
"
by seizing the main Ukrainian port on the Sea of Azov, Putin will be able to build a land bridge between annexed Crimea and Donbass
".
A real military advantage, but paid at a high price by the head of the Kremlin, underlines the
Guardian
which denounces "
one of the most brutal episodes of the war, which leaves an entire city in ruins and perhaps thousands of dead civilians
".
The "
apocalyptic siege of Putin
", ends ingloriously for Russia.
Concerns over the fate of Ukrainian soldiers captured in Mariupol
After being evacuated to territory "
under Russian control
", the Azovstal fighters "
now face an uncertain fate
", says the
New York Times.
While Ukrainian officials "
planned an exchange with Russian prisoners of war
", Moscow first intends to "
identify and interrogate Ukrainian prisoners
", suggesting that Russia "
does not rule out the idea of prosecuting them for crimes of war
,” says the
Washington Post
.
Particularly in the sights of the Russians, “
those who among the resistants of Azovstal, belong to the Azov regiment
”, notes
Die Welt,
“
a regiment qualified as neo-Nazi by the Russians
”.
One of the Kremlin negotiators also called on May 17 for "
the death penalty for Azov militants
", reports the German daily, like "
the hawks of the Duma
", also underlines
Nezavisimaya Gazeta
.
The Russian newspaper which explains "
that a large part of the Russian parliament opposes a humanist approach to the militants of Azov and recommends their reclassification as Nazi terrorists
".
The Russian Supreme Court should rule on this requalification "
on May 26
", notes the Russian daily.
Covid: North Korea on the brink of disaster
Experts are sounding the alarm, says the
Guardian
"
who are warning of a real catastrophe if measures are not taken quickly to provide vaccines and treatment to North Korea, where the number of patients is already over one million and half
".
Figures that are undoubtedly underestimated, the British daily explains, in a completely locked country where the regime "
would not have vaccinated any part of the population, with hospitals ill-equipped for intensive care, and widespread malnutrition which has made the 26 million North Koreans most vulnerable to serious illnesses
”.
In short, Omicron will have a "
terrible impact
", warn the experts who are also worried, underlines for its part the
Washington Post
"
that Kim Jong-un who has so far refused offers of vaccines from the United Nations, is not ready to accept a significant number of deaths to avoid exposing his country to international scrutiny
".
Japan to 'cautiously' reopen borders to tourists
After 2 years of almost total lockdown, "
Japan will finally let foreign tourists in
", welcomes the
Asahi Shimbun.
The Japanese daily which specifies that it will initially be "
only a test
" concerning "
small groups of tourists, who moreover come from only 4 countries: United States, Australia, Thailand and Singapore
".
From the end of the month, their entry will be authorized "
provided also that these tourists are triple vaccinated and then followed throughout their tourist journey
", specifies for its part the
Japan Times
which reports that "
if this 1st test proves positive , without problems of new contaminations, the government could then expand the number of visitors
”.
In 2019, Japan had welcomed “
nearly 32 million foreign tourists
”, notes for its part the
Guardian
, this reopening announced yesterday would concern only “
20,000 people
”.
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