Topline
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his country’s forces had successfully captured the key port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine which has been under a bloody siege for nearly two months, while officials in Kyiv continued efforts to evacuate thousands of women, children and the elderly people trapped there.
An aerial view shows the city of Mariupol, which has been under a Russian siege for nearly two … [+]
Key Facts
According to AFP, Putin hailed the “successful liberation” of Mariupol, but ordered his troops to lay siege on the Azovstal Steel Plant, indicating some Ukrainian defenders remain holed up.
After Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian forces control the city apart from the steel plant, Putin ordered his troops to block it off so “that not even a fly can escape.”
This indicates that, despite Putin’s claims, the situation on the ground has not dramatically changed from what it was earlier this week.
Earlier on Wednesday, Ukraine’s deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced on Telegram that only four evacuation carrying Ukrainian civilians were able to leave the port city on Wednesday and are soon expected to arrive in Ukraine-controlled Zaporizhia.
It is unclear how many people in total were able to leave Mariupol on Wednesday, as the original plan was to evacuate 6,000 women, children and elderly people.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said Ukraine had prepared 90 buses to enter the city to evacuate the 6,000 people, so it’s likely that a vast majority of them are still stuck inside the city.
What To Watch For
Vereshchuk said attempts for another extraction from Mariupol via a humanitarian corridor will be made at 2 p.m. local time on Thursday. But she warned that the “security situation” in the city remained difficult which may force a change in plans.
Big Number
100,000. That’s the estimated number of civilians that still remain trapped in Mariupol, Boichenko said Wednesday. The city’s mayor previously said he believes more than 20,000 civilians have been killed in the city since the start of Russia’s invasion. This estimate, however, has not been independently verified.
Section Title
On Wednesday, Ukrainian officials announced they were planning to evacuate around 6,000 women, children and elderly people from Mariupol and had reached a preliminary agreement with Russia to open a humanitarian corridor. Russian officials made no comment about the corridor, but reiterated their demands for Ukrainian forces in the city to lay down their arms and surrender. Despite the repeated “surrender-or-die” ultimatums issued to Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol by Russian forces since the start of this week, they have continued to hold the steel plant and its network of tunnels, preventing a full capture of the city. Despite running short of ammunition and supplies, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that troops defending the city will “fight absolutely to the end.”
Further Reading
Here’s Why Mariupol Is Such A Prized Target For Russia (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/04/21/putin-claims-russia-has-liberated-mariupol-orders-siege-of-steel-plant-where-ukrainian-fighters-remain/