War in Ukraine
Mariupol situation difficult but city still holding out: Ukraine
Officials seek urgent evacuation corridor for civilians as Russia steps up bombing
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KYIV • The situation in Ukraine's south-eastern port city of Mariupol is "extremely difficult" but the city has not been taken under full control by Russian forces, a spokesman for Ukraine's defence ministry said yesterday.
Speaking at a media briefing, spokesman Oleksandr Motuzyanyk also said that bombing runs by Russian military aircraft had increased of late by more than 50 per cent and that Ukraine's infrastructure had come in for increased targeting.
He echoed remarks made by Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal a day earlier, when he said troops in the pulverised city were still fighting despite a Russian demand to surrender by dawn on Sunday.
In a related development, Ukraine yesterday called for Russia to facilitate a humanitarian corridor for evacuees from Mariupol and one from a steel plant that is the city's last significant area of Ukrainian resistance.
"We demand an urgent humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal plant for women, children and other civilians," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a post on the Telegram messaging service.
The call came after Ukrainian authorities said yesterday they were halting for a second consecutive day the evacuation of civilians from front-line towns and cities in the east of the country, accusing Russian forces of blocking and shelling escape routes.
"Unfortunately, today, April 18, there will be no humanitarian corridors," Ms Vereshchuk said in a statement on social media. "In violation of international humanitarian law, the Russian occupiers have not stopped blocking and shelling humanitarian routes."
The Azovstal steelworks are one of the biggest metallurgical plants in Europe, covering more than 11 sq km and overlooking the Sea of Azov. Video and audio footage showed explosions rumbling and smoke rising from the steelworks, which contain myriad buildings, blast furnaces and rail tracks.
Mariupol city hall posted on its Telegram account a letter to Pope Francis from Major Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine's 36th marine brigade which is still fighting in the city, and appealing for help.
"I don't have much time to describe all the horrors that I see here every day. Women with children and babies live in bunkers at the (Azovstal) plant. In hunger and cold. Every day under the gunpoint of enemy aircraft. Every day the wounded die because there are no medications. No water, no food... Help save them."
Two captured British men who fought with Ukrainian forces in Mariupol appeared on Russian state TV yesterday and asked to be exchanged for pro-Russian politician Viktor Medvedchuk, who is being held by Ukrainian authorities. It was unclear how freely the two men - Mr Shaun Pinner and Mr Aiden Aslin - were able to talk.
Why control of Mariupol matters
From the start of the war, the south-eastern port city of Mariupol has been one of the most heavily bombarded by Russian forces and been reduced to a wasteland. Its capture is of great importance to Russia. Here's why.
Strategic location: Capturing Mariupol would allow Moscow to build a land bridge linking the two pro-Russian separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk with Crimea, which Russia occupied and annexed in 2014. It would also give Russia full control of the Sea of Azov as it aims to cut off Ukraine from the Black Sea. Russia already controls the Black Sea port of Kherson, some 380km from Mariupol, and Crimea's Black Sea ports.
Economic importance: Mariupol is a vital hub for the Ukrainian economy, as the port is used to export iron, steel, grain and heavy machinery, which are important sources of income for the government. The city is also home to Illich Iron and Steel Works, Ukraine's second-largest metallurgical plant, and Azovstal Iron and Steel, one of the country's largest steel rolling mills.
Mariupol has deeper berths than any other Ukrainian port in the region. Its control could help Moscow move equipment, goods and personnel between Russia, Donbass and Crimea more easily.
Morale boost: The fall of Mariupol would be a huge boost to Russian forces as it would be the first major city they take control of. Russia already has control of Kherson, but that city is of less strategic importance. To the Ukrainians, Mariupol's fall would be a major blow militarily, economically and psychologically as the city has become a symbol of resistance in the unequal fight between the two sides.
Propaganda: Mariupol's defenders have included Ukrainian marines, motorised brigades, a National Guard brigade and the Azov Regiment, a militia created by far-right nationalists. One of the declared goals of Russia's "special operation" in Ukraine was to "de-Nazify" Ukraine. Western and Ukrainian leaders have described this as an excuse for an unprovoked act of aggression, but if the Azov forces are defeated, President Vladimir Putin is likely to see it as a turning point and show his people he has achieved at least one of the aims of the invasion.
REUTERS
Mr Medvedchuk, meanwhile, was shown in a video released by Ukraine's SBU intelligence service asking to be swapped for the defenders of Mariupol and citizens struggling to leave. It was also unclear how freely he was speaking.
On the streets of Mariupol, small groups of bodies were lined up under colourful blankets, surrounded by shredded trees and scorched buildings. Residents, some pushing bicycles, picked their way around destroyed tanks and civilian vehicles while Russian soldiers checked motorists' documents.
On the eve of the war, Mariupol was the biggest city still held by Ukrainian authorities in the Donbass, which Moscow has demanded that Ukraine cede to pro-Russian separatists. Taking Mariupol would unite Russian forces on two of the main axes of the invasion, and free them up to join an expected new offensive against the main Ukrainian force in the east.
About 4.9 million Ukrainians have fled the country and thousands have died since the start of the invasion on Feb 24.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner said yesterday that the civilian death toll from the war in Ukraine had surpassed 2,000, reaching 2,072 as at midnight on April 17.
REUTERS