Ukraine's military says Russian forces are focused on destroying Ukrainian units in Azovstal
From CNN Leicester and Radina Jegova
The Ukrainian Armed Forces said the Russian military focused its efforts on destroying Ukrainian units at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
The Russian invaders focused their efforts on obstructing and trying to destroy our units in the Azovstal region. "The enemy continued the attack with the support of aviation to take control of the factory," the army said in a statement.
Pyotr Andryushenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said heavy shelling and "continuous" shooting at the steel plant lasted from overnight until Thursday.
What Russia has to say: Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called Thursday's report that Russian troops entered the steel plant area "fake news," saying Russian President Vladimir Putin's order , not to storm the plant was still in force.
Peskov said in a conference call, commenting on reports that Azovstal stole Russian troops. Hundreds of Ukrainian militants and civilians were killed, trapped for several weeks.
Peskov added that Putin gave the order to refrain from storming the plant, adding that "there was no other order from the commander-in-chief [President Putin]."
Peskov confirmed that the siege of the station by Russian forces continues, but also said that the evacuation corridor is operational today.
CNN found no independent evidence of the corridor operation, which the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday.
Azovstal continuously launched at night, Mariupol officer
By Olga Voitovich of CNN Kyiv
The source said that the intense attacks on the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol lasted from midnight until Thursday.
“Right now, if there is a hell in the world, it is in Azovstal,” Peter Andryushenko, adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said Thursday morning.
"There was ruthless shooting and assault, even at night with drone fire. In some areas, the fighting was already happening behind the factory walls.
Andryushenko added that residential areas located near the station "must be evacuated immediately without warning."
"The last 11 square kilometers (four square miles) of freedom in Mariupol turned out to be hell," he said.
Militants inside the factory said on Wednesday that Russian forces had crossed the front line.
Ukraine's military says Russia's "failed" attempt to break through the front line
By CNN's Tim Lister and Olga Vojtovic
Ukraine's armed forces said Russia had made "unsuccessful" attempts to break through front lines in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in the past 24 hours.
In an operational summary on Thursday, the General Staff said: "Limansky, Severodonetsky and Bebasninsky districts. Parts of the enemy tried offensive operations, but without success.
The attack was repulsed: these three cities were at the forefront of a multifaceted Russian offensive to capture the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The General Staff said that 11 attacks had been repelled.
According to the General Staff, some Russian soldiers refused to participate in further hostilities.
“Several personnel of the 38th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of the 35th Combined Arms Army of the Eastern Military District, after being transferred to the recovery area, refused to participate in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine due to large personnel losses,” he said. She said. .
CNN was unable to verify this claim and the General Staff did not provide further details.
Missile Destruction: Russian activity over the past 24 hours has been limited to firing rockets and artillery shells. Local authorities in Kramatorsk, a city in the Donetsk region, said six people were injured and need treatment in last night's rocket attack.
At least three buildings, a school and a kindergarten were heavily damaged.
On the southern front: the Zaporozhye Regional Military Administration reported that "the military situation has not changed significantly. Fighting is taking place in the Gulyai Pol region and on the contact lines. Russia has up to 13 tactical battalions in this region."
For at least two weeks, there was a shooting in Hulyapol, like in Polje, in which a woman died, according to the authorities, from her shrapnel wounds.
To the south: Ukraine claims to have retaken settlements along the borders of the Mykolaiv and Kherson regions.
What do we know about the Azovstal plant in Mariupol?
At the Azovstal metallurgical plant, fierce fighting continues between Russian troops and the last Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol.
The city's mayor said that despite efforts to evacuate civilians trapped in the vast area, hundreds of people remain, including some 30 children.
This is what we know about plants:
- The plant, located south of the port city of Mariupol, was the last desperate stand against the invading Russian forces.
- Today, Azovstal is a major player on the world stage , producing 4 million tons of steel a year and exporting most of it, according to its owner Metinvest Holding, Ukraine's largest steel producer.
- From the skyscrapers of the Shard in London to the Hudson Yards in Manhattan and the Genoese San Giorgio Bridge (which replaced the collapsed Morandi Bridge), Azovstal steel is used in some of the world's most famous monuments.
- At least 150 employees have died and thousands more are missing, said Yuri Raginkov, chief executive of Metinvest Holding Company, which owns the plant.
- According to him, before the war, the plant employed 11,000 people, and among the company's employees there were family dynasties that had been producing steel for as long as possible.
What is known about the position:
- The commander of the Azov regiment inside the plant, Lieutenant Colonel Denis Prokopenko, said that after Russian troops broke through its perimeter, there was a "big bloody battle" inside the complex.
- Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko said on Wednesday that "heavy artillery and tanks shelled the entire fortress, flights were operating, ships were approaching and shelling the fortress."
- Boychenko said there were 30 children trapped in the factory still waiting to be rescued.
- Last weekend, more than 100 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant and arrived safely in Zaporozhye.
- Deputy Commander Svyatoslav Balamar said militants inside the besieged factory "share food and water" with civilians, but time is running out.
- "If the worst (worst) happens and we run out of food, we will hunt the birds and do everything we can to hold our ground," he told CNN.
- On Wednesday, Ukraine's foreign minister said the plant "is still standing" despite relentless Russian attacks.
- The Russian Defense Ministry said it plans to open an evacuation corridor for civilians from the Azovstal steel plant near Mariupol starting Thursday.
Read more about steel mills here.
In kyiv, at 7 in the morning. This is what you should know
A Ukrainian commander at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol said there was a "bloody battle" inside the complex after Russian forces broke through the perimeter, although Russia said it would open an evacuation corridor from the plant on Thursday.
Here are the latest developments of the war in Ukraine:
Mariupol evacuation: Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky said 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and its suburbs to Zaporozhye on Wednesday. He also called for a ceasefire to evacuate those who remained in Mariupol, especially the women and children who remain trapped in the Azovstal steel plant.
“Bloody battle” in Azovstal: The commander of the Azov battalion at the Azovstal plant, Lt. Col. Denis Prokopenko, said that after the invasion of Russian troops, a “violent bloody battle” took place inside the compound. Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko said on Wednesday that fresh fighting had broken out at the factory and that hundreds of civilians, including 30 children, were still inside the city along with Ukraine's last defenders.
Russia says to open evacuation corridor: The Russian Defense Ministry said it hopes to open an evacuation corridor for civilians from the Azovstal steel plant near Mariupol starting Thursday. The ministry said the evacuation will take place from May 5 to 7, from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Moscow time.
Russia Targets Foreign Weapons: In the latest series of air strikes against Ukraine, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said Russian forces are "trying to achieve what we value as critical infrastructure targets in the West" in Ukraine, including " energy and transportation hubs. According to Kirby, after the attack, the United States could still "deliver" military aid to the region, including "weapon systems" and other materials.
Attacks on the supply line. Russian attacks on Ukrainian supply lines are intensifying, and investigators are gathering evidence of Russian attempts to systematically destroy key infrastructure. The Lviv power plant was one of six railway facilities in central and western Ukraine that were attacked by Russian forces on Tuesday; the rail network is now one of Russia's most important targets.
Zelensky: 344 people were evacuated from the Mariupol region on Wednesday
By Mitchell McCluskey on CNN
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said during his evening address that 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and its suburbs to Zaporozhye on Wednesday.
"I thank everyone who made the evacuation a success," Zelensky said.
Zelensky also called for a ceasefire to evacuate those left behind in Mariupol.
"We are negotiating and we hope to continue saving the people of Azovstal, of Mariupol. There are still civilians, women and children. We need to continue the ceasefire to save them."
Zelensky analyzes the "scandalous" statements of the Russian foreign minister with the Israeli prime minister
From Niamh Kennedy on CNN London
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has informed Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's "scandalous" statement that Hitler had Jewish blood.
In a speech Wednesday night, Zelensky said he spoke with Bennett to congratulate him on Israel's Independence Day and update him on the situation in the southern city of Mariupol and eastern Ukraine.
"We also discussed the shameful and totally unacceptable statement of the Russian Foreign Minister, which offended the whole world," the Ukrainian president said.
In an interview with Italian television on Sunday, Lavrov repeated Russia's claim that its invasion of Ukraine was part of an attempt to "discredit" the country.
He denied the fact that Zelensky was Jewish, saying: "[Zelinsky] made an argument: what kind of Nazism could they have if he was Jewish? I may be wrong, but Hitler also had Jewish blood. It means absolutely nothing. [... .] Jewish scholars say that the most ardent anti-Semites are often the Jews.”
Lavrov's comments angered the Israeli government, which immediately summoned the Russian ambassador to Israel.
Hadas Gold CNN contributed to this report .
The Ukrainian commander of the Azovstal plant said that the "enemy" broke into the factory complex during the fighting.
By Yulia Presnyakova and Roman Timotsko for CNN
Lt. Col. Denis Prokopenko, commander of the Azov battalion at the Azovstal plant, said fierce fighting broke out inside the complex after Russian forces crossed the border.
"Two days ago, the enemy entered the factory territory. There was a bloody and fierce battle," he said.
Prokopenko continued: “I am proud of the soldier who made extraordinary efforts to resist the enemy's attacks. I thank the whole world for the extraordinary support of the Mariupol garrison. The situation is very difficult, but we continue to comply with the orders to maintain the defense. . "
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