Moscow reports that 46 civilians have been rescued from the embattled port city. The Ukrainian authorities believe that an evacuation from Mariupol is still possible today.
According to Moscow, a total of 46 civilians have been evacuated from the area around the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol. The Ukrainian authorities declared an evacuation from Mariupol today for possible.
The city council of Mariupol and the responsible governor have asked the residents to arrive at a certain place at 4 p.m. Ukrainian time (3 p.m. CET) in order to get to Zaporizhia.
A Archyde.com-Fotograf reported on Sunday morning regarding a group of regarding 40 people who arrived from the area around the steel plant in a temporary reception center in the village of Besimenne, Donetsk region. The people were in buses with Ukrainian license plates in a convoy with Russian troops and vehicles AND-Emblems arrived.
Russian agencies initially reported on Saturday that 25 people had left the factory premises in the completely destroyed metropolis on the Azov Sea during the day. As night fell, another 21 people fled from houses adjacent to the plant, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense on Sunday.
The Ukrainian Azov regiment, whose fighters have also entrenched themselves in the steelworks, recently spoke of 20 women and children who had been evacuated. According to Ukrainian information, a total of around 1,000 civilians are said to have sought refuge in the bunkers of the steelworks and are now trapped. Russia speaks of around 2,500 Ukrainian military and foreign mercenaries who are said to have holed up there together with civilians.
Evacuation attempt in the followingnoon
The city administration announced another evacuation attempt from Mariupol to the city of Zaporizhia, which is controlled by Ukrainian troops, for the followingnoon (3:00 p.m. CEST). The agency called on everyone to get in touch with friends and relatives in Mariupol and let them know regarding the action, which is not limited to those trapped at the steel mill.
Russian troops had besieged Mariupol on February 24, shortly following the war began. In the meantime, they have largely taken over the strategically important city. Despite an agreement reached by Moscow and Kyiv on a humanitarian corridor for civilians to flee, there have been no major evacuations from the plant. The situation of the trapped people is considered catastrophic.
Ukraine attacks Snake Island
According to Ukraine, Ukraine has repeatedly launched missile attacks on the Russian-occupied Snake Island in the Black Sea. Several air defense complexes and a communications unit were destroyed, the southern command of the Ukrainian army said on Sunday. 42 Russian soldiers are said to have been killed. This might not initially be verified independently. There was no Russian confirmation of the attack.
With the “Neptune” coastal defense system, Kyiv says it has missiles with a range of up to 280 kilometers. The Russian warship “Moskva” – flagship of the Russian Black Sea Fleet – is said to have been sunk in mid-April. Snake Island is regarding 35 kilometers off the Ukrainian coast and was captured by Russia at the end of February. At that time, a Ukrainian marine was said to radio the attackers with the words “Russian warship, fuck off!” have insulted. 32-year-old Roman Hrybow became a folk hero.
Western weapons destroyed
Meanwhile, Russia has confirmed renewed attacks on eastern and southern Ukraine. In the Zaporizhia region, S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems were destroyed, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on Sunday. Two fighter jets were shot down in the Kharkiv region. The Ukrainian side, in turn, spoke of several injuries as a result of the Russian attacks on Kharkiv.
Konashenkov also confirmed an attack on an airfield in the Black Sea metropolis of Odessa. The runway was destroyed with rockets as well as a hangar in which weapons delivered from the USA and Europe were stored. Ukraine had already announced on Saturday that the Russians were shelling an airfield in Odessa from the annexed Black Sea peninsula of Crimea.
(APA/Archyde.com/dpa/Ed.)