In Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, Russian troops have claimed to temporarily suspend combat to evacuate left-behind civilians, but the Ukrainian side has complained that the attacks are continuing, and it seems that the evacuation of civilians has been difficult. ..
The Putin administration is stepping up its efforts to make eastern rule a reality ahead of Victory Day on the 9th, including sending high-ranking officials from Cheong Wa Dae to Mariupol.
On the 5th, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Air Force had attacked 45 military facilities on the Ukrainian side, and in the eastern part of it, the offensive is intensifying, such as destroying the command post and armory in Luhansk Oblast.
In Mariupol, a key point in the east, hundreds of civilians are still believed to be left behind at the Azovstal iron and steel siege surrounded by Russian troops, and the Russian Defense Ministry said it was 8:00 am local time for three days from the 5th to the 7th. Announced that it will temporarily suspend the fighting from 6 pm to 6 pm and set up a "humanitarian corridor" for citizens to evacuate.
However, the deputy commander of Ukraine's "Azov Battalion" said on the 5th, "Russia has not kept its promise of a ceasefire and has not given civilians an opportunity to evacuate." I am complaining.
Putin spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Bennett on the phone on the 5th, claiming that he was "ready to ensure the safe evacuation of citizens from the Mariupol steelworks," according to the Russian Presidential Administration.
He said, "The Ukrainian government must order the remaining insurgents in the steelworks to put down their weapons," he said, indicating that he would continue to increase pressure.
Meanwhile, the governor of Belgorod Oblast in western Russia claimed on the 5th that two villages in the state were bombarded by the Ukrainian side, damaging electric wires and affecting power supply.
Belgorod Oblast, which borders Ukraine, is one of the bases of Russian troops attacking eastern Ukraine, and damage such as an explosion of oil storage facilities was reported last month.
Although the Ukrainian side has not officially acknowledged it, some say that some of the explosions may be cross-border attacks aimed at Russian military supply bases in order to resist the military invasion.
As the offense and defense intensified, the Putin administration sent the first deputy chief cabinet secretary of the presidential office to Mariupol on the 4th, and Mr. Kiriyenko emphasized support for rebuilding his life at a meeting with residents. ..
Kirienko was one of Putin's aides, who once served as prime minister under the Yeltsin administration in the 1990s, and may be responsible for issues in the two eastern states of Ukraine in the future, some Russian media reported. I am.
It seems that the Putin administration has a speculation that by dispatching Mr. Kirienko before the "Victory Day" on the 9th, he will emphasize that he has taken control of Mariupol, and that the rule will become an established fact.