THE Ukraine proposed today to hold a “special” round of talks with Russia in the shadow of the Azovstal steel plant Mariupolto discuss the fate of civilians and Ukrainian soldiers trapped in the city, said an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The talks will be aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Mariupol, opening humanitarian corridors and releasing or exchanging Ukrainian fighters trapped in the industrial unit, Alexei Arestovich said in a video message.
He added that he was waiting for Moscow’s response.
Earlier, Arestovich wrote on Facebook that “Russian soldiers are trying to make up for Azofstal’s defenders and the more than 1,000 civilians hiding in the factory.”
According to Ukrainian officials, Russian forces today attempted to occupy Azovstal, although last week Russian President Vladimir Putin had stated that such a thing was not necessary. According to the command of the Ukrainian armed forces on Facebook, the Russians are bombing and conducting “offensive operations” in the Azovstal region, while at the same time launching blows on political infrastructure.
Serhiy Volina, commander of the 36th Marine Brigade in Mariupol, said in an interview broadcast on YouTube that Russia was hitting the industrial complex from the air with its artillery.
“We have casualties, the situation is critical. We have a lot of injuries, (some) are dying, it is a difficult (situation) in terms of weapons, ammunition, food, medicine; the situation is deteriorating rapidly,” Volina said. from the steelworks.
Konstantin Ivashenko, who has been appointed “mayor” of Mariupol by the Russians but is not recognized by Ukraine, has denied that fighting is taking place in the city. His statements were broadcast by the Russian agency TASS.
Reuters was unable to confirm the Ukrainian or Russian statements from independent sources.
Last Thursday, Putin said Mariupol had been “liberated” and publicly called on the defense minister to suspend the occupation of Azovstal in order to save the lives of Russian soldiers and, instead, to shut down the plant.
Source: News Beast
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