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Ukraine war: Zelensky plea as Russians seek Mariupol endgame

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Russian forces have launched an all-out assault on the Azovstal steelworks, the last Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol, according to Ukrainian officials.

According to the commander of the Azov regiment, Ukrainian forces inside the plant are fighting “difficult bloody battles” for the second day. After days of sustained attacks, Russian forces are said to have entered “the territory of the plant.”

Around 200 civilians, including children, are believed to be sheltering inside. The BBC was unable to independently verify reports of a Russian attack on a steel plant.

“I am proud of my soldiers who are making superhuman efforts to contain the enemy’s pressure… the situation is extremely difficult,” Azov commander Denis Prokopenko said in a brief video message posted on Telegram.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has made a new appeal to the United Nations to assist in the rescue of those still alive. “To us, everyone is significant. We request your assistance in rescuing them “In a phone call, Mr. Zelensky informed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.

Mr. Guterres was thanked by Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko for a successful UN-led and Red Cross-led evacuation of more than 100 people from the steelworks earlier this week, but he asked the UN to “assist in the removal of all the wounded from Azovstal.”

On Wednesday, 344 evacuees from various south-western cities, including Mariupol, arrived in the relative safety of Zaporizhzhia, a south-eastern city still under Ukrainian control, according to Ukraine’s deputy prime minister.

Irina Vereshchuk thanked the UN and the Red Cross for their assistance in a Telegram post, saying: “Women, children, and the elderly from Mariupol, Manhush, Berdiansk, Tokmak, and Vasylivka are among them… We will now provide them with emotional and psychological support during this trying time.”

The evacuations were confirmed by Osnat Lubrani, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

“While this second evacuation of civilians from Mariupol and beyond is significant, much more must be done to ensure that all civilians caught up in fighting are able to flee in the direction of their choice,” she said in a statement.

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News Trending War

Estonia’s, Latvia’s, Lithuania’s, and Poland’s presidents are travelling to Ukraine

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Estonia’s, Latvia’s, Lithuania’s, and Poland’s presidents are travelling to Kyiv to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “On our way to Kyiv, a city that has suffered greatly as a result of the Russian war since my last visit,” Estonian President Alar Karis tweeted.

On Wednesday, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausda stated that he would be “heading to Kyiv with a strong message of political support and military assistance.”

The trip also includes Polish President Andrzej Duda and Latvian President Egils Levits.

The visit was supposed to include German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier “to send a strong signal of European solidarity with Ukraine,” but he said on Tuesday that he was not welcome in Ukraine.

“I was prepared to do this,” he said, “but apparently, and this is something I must note, this was not wanted in Kyiv.”

After an unidentified Ukrainian diplomat told the German newspaper Bild that he was not welcome in Kyiv at the moment, Steinmeier spoke out.

President Zelenskyy has criticised Steinmeier’s historical support for Western-Russian rapprochement.

The German president has been a vocal proponent of the “Wandel durch Handel” (Change through Trade) theory, which contends that strengthening commercial ties can help spur democratic reforms.

Berlin had been hesitant to send weapons to Ukraine due to historical reasons, but in response to the conflict, it has now sent anti-tank weapons, missile launchers, and surface-to-air missiles.

Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, paid a visit to Kyiv last week after promising to provide Ukraine with more than $130 million in advanced weaponry. Johnson’s surprise visit was described by Downing Street as a “show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people,” with his one-on-one meeting with Zelenskyy focusing on long-term support and new financial and military aid.

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