VIDEO AVAILABLE: CONTACT [email protected] video was issued on Monday (18April2022) by defenders from Ukraine’s Azov Regiment - who are holding out in the besieged city of Mariupol. It claims to show civilian women and children sheltering in bunkers in the Azovstal steel factory. The giant steelworks is the defenders last remaining redoubt in the city - where they have held out against brutal shelling since early March.In a message on Telegram, the commander of the Azov regiment, Denis Prokopenko wrote: “I call to the leaders of the world. Right now, in Mariupol, at "Azovstal" steel factory hundreds of civilians are sheltering. Among them - people of all ages, women, children, families of Mariupol defenders. They are sheltering in the basements and bunkers from "russian world".”“They found their only available shelter next to the Ukrainian soldiers, who are still defending the city from russian invaders. Russian occupational forces, and their proxy from "lnr/dnr" (the Luhansk and Donetsk rebel ‘republics’ recognised by Russia) know that, they know about civilians, and they keep their fire on the factory willingly.“They use free fall bombs, rockets, bunker-buster bombs, all varieties of artillery, both ground and naval for indiscriminate attacks. The city theatre, maternity hospital, schools, kindergartens, hospitals, houses were destroyed by those who now offers civilians evacuation and safety.“These are the same people. And nobody believes these bastards. Therefore I urge the politicians of all civilized world to organize a proper "green corridor", ensure it's safety and provide immediate evacuation and protection of civilians, wounded soldiers, and bodies of dead soldiers, to bury them with honours.”Several attempts to create such corridors have been made throughout the fighting but have often had to be abandoned as Russian troops have resumed their bombardment of the city.Where: Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine When: 18 A
Instead, he told his Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu that the plant — a sprawling complex which is among the last significant holdouts for Ukrainian forces in Mariupol — should be sealed and those inside should once again be offered the chance to surrender in exchange for their lives and a “dignified treatment.”
A retired military official told CNN on Thursday the decision by Putin “militarily … makes sense.”
Speaking to CNN, retired Lt. Col. Daniel L. Davis said:
“There’s no point in just ratcheting out and going in for each individual person in that very labyrinth complex … There’s no reason to do that. All they have to do is just keep that last piece cordoned off and virtually the city is already theirs.”
The plant is currently sheltering hundreds of soldiers and civilians. After numerous failed attempts to establish safe corridors, four evacuation buses managed to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
“Even though the Russians don’t go after them [the Ukrainian troops inside the plant], because they have them surrounded, they can’t get even food or water, much less ammunition,” Davis added.
“The risk to those soldiers is that they would slowly die if they don’t get some help. I think in probably the coming hours or days you’re going to hear that those troops are finally negotiated out.”
Putin declared on Thursday that Mariupol had been “liberated,” but Shoigu said Russian forces would need three to four days to take over the Azovstal plant. Ukrainian officials have denied that the southeastern city has fallen to Russia.
