UN convoy expected to evacuate civilians from Azovstal, Mariupol | War in Ukraine

It was the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Martin Griffiths, who announced Thursday that a new convoy was heading for the martyr city of Mariupol, which has become one of the symbols of the Russian invasion that began on February 24. .

As we speak, a convoy is on its way to arrive in Azovstal by tomorrow morning with the hope of picking up the remaining civilians from this dark hell they have been living in for so many weeks and months, and bring them back to safety, said Mr. Griffiths. Civilians, who could still number 200, and fighters have taken refuge in the Azovstal factory underground for weeks, in precarious living conditions and surrounded by Russian forces.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that it is associated with sending the convoy, in coordination with the UN and the belligerents.

” the ICRCInternational Committee of the Red Cross insists that no details can be released until the situation allows, so as not to seriously jeopardize the operation. »

A new stage of rescuing our compatriots from Azovstal is underway at the moment. Information on the results of this operation will be provided later.declared Andri Yermak, head of the services of the Ukrainian presidency, without further details.

Conflicting information about the situation in Azovstal

On Friday morning, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense assured that the Russian forces continued their offensive on Azovstal, despite a three-day ceasefire, from Thursday to Saturday. Russian forces have in some areas, with the support of aviation, resumed operations aimed at taking control of the plant and the blockade of defense units [ukrainiennes] keep on goingthe ministry said in a statement.

The Azov regiment, which brings together fighters living in the steelworks, accused Russian forces on Friday of having targeted one of its cars taking part in the civilian evacuation operation, killing a soldier.

During the ceasefire in the territory of the Azovstal plant, a car was targeted by the Russians with an anti-tank guided missile. This car was heading towards civilians to evacuate them from the factorythe regiment said on Telegram. One fighter was killed and six injured.

The deputy commander of the Azov regiment, Sviatoslav Palamar, assured in a video that bloody fights take place inside the site itself and that the Russians did not keep their promise truce.

Russian President Vladimir Putin for his part affirmed Thursday evening that the Russian army was always ready to ensure the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal.

The Russian army respects the ceasefire around the factory, and the humanitarian corridors around Azovstal workalso promised the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov.

The full capture of Mariupol would be a significant victory for Russia as it approaches May 9, the day it celebrates its victory over Nazi Germany in 1945.

The Kremlin, however, said on Friday that no such celebration was planned in Mariupol.

” This year, of course, it is impossible for obvious reasons. But the hour will come when a great celebration will take place there. »

According to the American Institute for War Studies (ISW), Russian forces are likely to take control of the site in the coming days.

Since the start of the invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has only been able to claim full control of one major city, that of Kherson, in the south. Dmitry Peskov acknowledged on Thursday that Western support had held back thespecial military operation Russian triggered on February 24.

The Russians continue their offensives in the east

In the Donbass coalfield, where Moscow’s offensive is concentrated, Severodonetsk, one of the major cities still under Ukrainian control, is almost surrounded by Russian forces and pro-Russian separatists, the mayor of this city in the Lugansk region, Olexander Stryuk, said on Friday.

Although a very large majority of the approximately 100,000 inhabitants have been evacuated, the mayor lamented that 15,000 of them refuse to leave.

Russian forces have continued their ineffective offensive operations south of Kharkiv, in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, without registering significant territorial gains in the past 24 hours.estimated Thursday evening the ISW.

A Ukrainian counter-offensive from Kharkiv to put the country’s second city out of enemy artillery range could force the Russians to reinforce near Kharkiv or risk losing most or all of their positions within artillery rangeaccording to’ISWAmerican Institute for War Studies.