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Ukraine’s deputy defense minister says the port city of Mariupol is resisting despite constant Russian attacks, while Moscow claims its forces have taken almost complete control of the city.
Hanna Malyar said on April 17 that the defenders in this key city in the Sea of Azov have managed to repel a significant number of Russian forces that have surrounded Mariupol.
She described Mariupol as a “shield of Ukraine”, which she said was preventing Russian forces from advancing to other parts of the country.
Russia has issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian soldiers to surrender by 6 a.m. local time on April 17, saying Ukrainian soldiers were trapped in a steel plant. But, a few hours after the expiration of this ultimatum, there are no signs that Ukrainian forces have surrendered.
There is still no reaction from Kiev regarding the Russian ultimatum, although the Ukrainian military has said that Russian air strikes on Maripol are continuing.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said almost 2,500 Ukrainian troops were at the Azovstal plant, but that this claim could not be independently verified.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on April 16 of “deliberately trying to destroy everyone” in Mariupol, adding that the killing of Ukrainian soldiers would hamper peace efforts.
“Our soldiers are trapped, the wounded are trapped. “This is a humanitarian crisis.… However, our men are defending themselves,” he told the Ukrainska Pravda news agency.
Mariupol has been the scene of the fiercest bombing and fighting since Russia launched its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine on February 24. It is believed that thousands of civilians have been trapped in the city, without access to basic necessities, as efforts to evacuate civilians are being hampered by ongoing shelling.
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