The Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is almost under the control of the Russian forces after a seven-week siege. Russia has stepped up attacks in response to the destruction of a key warship in the Black Sea and alleged invasion of Ukraine into Russian territory.
Russian military on Sunday destroyed a massive steel plant, the last site of resistance in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The Russian military estimated that about 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers are underground and fighting at a steel plant.
Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defence Ministry, said about 2,500 Ukrainian troops were in Azovstal. This claim could not be independently verified. Ukrainian officials did not mention any numbers in this regard.
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The Russian military told Ukrainian forces stationed in Mariupol that they would be given a 'survival guarantee' if they lay down their weapons. The Russian Defence Ministry made this announcement early on Sunday. "Those who continue to resist will be eliminated," Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Konashenkov said.
Mariupol is considered the 'shield of Ukraine'
Ukraine's Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Maliar described Mariupol as 'the shield that protects Ukraine'. She said Ukrainian forces stood firm despite Russia's attack on Mariupol. For more than a month and a half, Russian forces have surrounded the important port city of the Sea of Azov. This is the latest offer made to the Ukrainian forces stationed there.
Russia to benefit from capture of Mariupol
Capturing Mariupol is an important strategic goal of Russia. By doing this it will get a land corridor to Crimea. Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Apart from this, after defeating Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, Russian forces stationed there will be able to move towards Donbass. The Russian military said on Sunday that it had attacked an ammunition plant near Kyiv overnight with missiles.
Russia's attack on Kyiv intensifies
Russia's sharp attacks on Kyiv came as it accused Ukraine on Thursday of injuring seven people and damaging nearly 100 residential buildings through air strikes in Bryansk, bordering Ukraine. The Russian military also claimed on Sunday that it had destroyed Ukrainian air defence radars as well as several other ammunition depots near Svyarodonetsk in the east.
Explosions were reported overnight in the eastern city of Kramatorsk, where a rocket attack on a railway station killed at least 57 people.
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Zelenskyy seeks more arms help from Western countries
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, "Russia is bent on deliberately eliminating everyone who is there." He said Ukraine needed more arms help from Western countries to save Mariupol, a port city in the Sea of Azov.
Zelenskyy said, "Either should our allies immediately provide Ukraine with all the necessary heavy weapons and aircraft so that we can confront the Mariupol occupiers and remove the barriers, or we do so through negotiations, in which our allies can be protected. There should be a decisive role."
Zelenskyy estimated that between 2,500 and 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in the battle, and about 10,000 were wounded. Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said on Saturday that at least 200 children had died and more than 360 were injured in the fighting.
(With Agency Inputs)
