Ukrainian fighters evacuated from Mariupol

This means that Russia takes control of the city after several months of bombing.

The evacuation of hundreds of fighters, some even wounded, could mark the end of the longest and bloodiest battle in the war in Ukraine and could be considered a loss for this state.

The city of Mariupol was destroyed after the Russian occupation and Ukraine has said tens of thousands of people were killed in it.

Although the rest of Mariupol has already been under Russian control, hundreds of Ukrainians and civilians have been trapped inside the Azovstal steel plant.

Civilians who have been in those premises have been evacuated in recent days and more than 260 troops have left the factory to cross into areas controlled by Russian forces in the late hours of Monday.

“The Mariupol garrison has fulfilled its combat mission,” the Ukrainian army’s general staff said in a statement.

“The Supreme Military Command has ordered the commanders of the units stationed in Azovstal to save the lives of the personnel. “Mariupol’s defenders are the heroes of our time,” the statement said, according to Reuters.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Anna Malyar said 53 wounded fighters had been taken to hospital in the Russian-controlled town of Novoazovsk, while 211 others had been taken to Olenivka, a Russian-backed separatist-held area.

All evacuees are subject to potential prisoner exchanges with Russia, she added.

About 600 bodies are believed to have been at the factory.

The Ukrainian military has said it is trying to evacuate the rest.

“We hope to save the lives of our sons,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in the early hours of Tuesday.

“Some are very injured. They are receiving health treatment. “Ukraine needs living heroes.”

Explosions in Lviv, fighting in Kharkiv

Moscow calls its war in Ukraine a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing the country and fighting the fascists, a claim that Kiev and the West see as unfounded.

Occupying Russian forces have retreated several times since the start of the war, including withdrawing from areas of Kiev in late March.

A counterattack by Ukrainian forces in recent days has also driven Russian forces out of areas near Kharkiv, the largest city in eastern Ukraine.

The General Staff of Ukraine has said that Russian forces are receiving reinforcements and are preparing to launch the offensive near the strategic town of Izjum.

Meanwhile, areas around Kiev and the western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, have continued to face Russian attacks.

A series of blasts were reported in the early hours of Tuesday in Lviv, but there were no reports of casualties or damage.

On Monday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense said that military troops had advanced to the Russian border, about 40 kilometers north of Kharkiv.

Success near Kharkiv could enable Ukraine to attack Russian supply lines.

Mitigating Putin’s stance on NATO

Russia has faced tough sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but European Union foreign ministers have failed to put pressure on Hungary to lift its veto on a proposal to impose an embargo on Russian oil.

The American company McDonald’s has become the largest global brand that has left Russia, and has announced plans to sell all restaurants in this country after more than 30 years.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has softened his stance on Finland and Sweden’s plans to join NATO.

“As long as enlargement continues, including the new members, Finland and Sweden, Russia has no problems with these countries – none. “Therefore, there is no threat to Russia from the enlargement that includes these countries,” Putin said.

These comments constitute a major shift in his rhetoric, after several years that Putin has viewed NATO enlargement as a threat to Russia’s security.

He has even used the possibility of enlargement as an excuse for invading Ukraine.

Putin has said that NATO enlargement is being used “aggressively” by the United States to escalate the already difficult global security situation, and that Russia will respond if the alliance moves its weapons or troops further.

“The expansion of military infrastructure in this territory would provoke our response,” Putin said.

Finland and Sweden, both countries not involved in the Cold War, have said they want to be protected by NATO, which stipulates that if one country is attacked, it is considered an attack on all other member states.

However, the plans of Finland and Sweden may be blocked, as Turkey, a member of NATO, has said it will not approve their membership.REL

top channel