[LIVE] War in Ukraine: still confused situation in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol
A Russian soldier patrols a destroyed part of the Azovstal metallurgical plant, Wednesday May 18, 2022. AP
Text by: RFI Follow
3 mins
On the 85th day of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, this Thursday May, the conflict, where the future of the last fighters entrenched in the Azovstal factory in Mariupol remained uncertain, will be implicit in the meeting Thursday of the American president with the Swedish leaders and Finns knocking on NATO's door to protect themselves from Moscow.
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► Ukrainian justice opened its first war crime trial on Wednesday to try a Russian soldier accused of killing an unarmed civilian.
► The United States announced on Wednesday the reopening of its embassy in kyiv.
► Finland and Sweden jointly filed their NATO candidacies on Wednesday, the two Nordic countries announced.
► The Russian Ministry of Defense announced on Wednesday that 959 Ukrainian soldiers, holed up on the Azovstal steel site in Mariupol, had surrendered since Monday.
The “evacuation mission” of the soldiers still inside the steelworks “continues”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier, without specifying the number.
► Russian diplomacy announced the expulsion of 34 French diplomats, 24 Italian diplomats and 27 Spaniards, in retaliation for those of Russians in the wake of the Russian offensive against Ukraine.
Times are given in Universal Time (UT)
04:25: What do we know about the situation in Mariupol?
“
The commanders and high-ranking fighters of the Azov (regiment) have not yet emerged
” from the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in this port city, assured Denis Pushilin, a pro-Russian separatist leader.
According to him, a thousand members of this paramilitary unit integrated into the Ukrainian army were still hiding there.
Ukraine had given the same figure, but last week while yesterday, the Russian Ministry of Defense said on Wednesday that "
959 (Ukrainian) fighters, including 80 wounded, have surrendered
" since Monday.
Information that Ukraine has not commented on.
The Russian army concentrated its efforts on Wednesday "
on blocking our units near Azovstal
" with artillery fire and airstrikes, the Ukrainian forces' general staff reported.
The total capture of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, would constitute an important advance for Russia.
It would allow it to connect by land the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow annexed in 2014, to parts of Donbass already in the hands of pro-Russian separatists.
But the city is " 90%
" destroyed
and "
40% of its infrastructure
" is "
unrecoverable
", indicated in early April its mayor Vadim Boïtchenko.
“
The Russians fly to Mariupol.
The occupants are now trying to put the commercial port in order to export the equivalent of millions of dollars of cereals, metallurgical products
“in particular, argued Wednesday evening on Telegram the town hall of Mariupol.
According to a US official speaking on condition of anonymity on Wednesday, "
Russian officials acknowledge that despite claiming to be the 'liberators' of the Russian-speaking city of Mariupol, Russian troops are committing serious acts in the city, including the beating and electrocution of city officials, and they loot homes
".
“
Russian officials are concerned that these acts may further incite the residents of Mariupol to resist the Russian occupation
,” he continued.
04h00: Hello and welcome to this live
You can our live from yesterday by following this
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Ukraine
Day to day war in Ukraine
Russia
Volodymyr Zelensky
Vladimir Poutine
Defense
NATO