The Azovstal steelworks in the southeastern port city of Mariupol is still under Russian siege. The office of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced an operation to remove civilians from the complex.
Minimal Russian territorial gains, high losses
The British Ministry of Defense reported particularly heavy fighting around the cities of Lysychansk and Severodonetsk in the Donbass. “Russia’s territorial gains are limited and have been achieved at significant cost to the Russian military,” he said of the military situation. In turn, the Russian Defense Ministry announced an attack on Ukrainian military targets with cruise missiles from a submarine in the Black Sea. According to the Interfax news agency, it was the first time Russia had made such an attack public. The respective information could not be verified by an independent party.
US does not believe in nuclear threat
According to its own statements, the US does not assume that there is a threat from Russian nuclear weapons, despite Moscow’s recent verbal arming. “We continue to monitor their nuclear capabilities every day to the best of our ability. We do not feel there is a threat of Russian use of nuclear weapons,” said a US Department of Defense official. Nor could the US see any threat to NATO areas.
According to US estimates, some of the Russian attacks on Kiev are aimed at destroying weapons factories in Ukraine. Furthermore, Russia appears to be behind in its military operations in Donbass.
Current information about the war in Ukraine on the PULS 24 live blog:
Mariupol: evacuation “operation”
Meanwhile, according to media reports, the evacuation of civilians from the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the completely destroyed Ukrainian port of Mariupol is planned for this Friday. An “operation” is planned to rescue the trapped people, the Ukrainian newspaper “Ukrajinska Pravda” reported, citing a source in the presidential office. A first evacuation attempt on Thursday failed as Russian troops fired on a military hospital on the factory premises. Initially, there was no official confirmation of the report.
The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, expressed the hope that in the ongoing “negotiation procedures” an agreement will be reached on the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol. According to Ukrainian news agency Unian, Boychenko said there was almost no food, water or medicine at the besieged steel mill. “It’s not about days anymore, it’s about hours.”
Field hospital under fire
Earlier, during a Russian attack on the last defenders of Mariupol, who were hiding in the steel mills, the field hospital installed there had come under heavy fire. According to a report by “Ukrajinska Pravda”, at least one soldier was killed on Thursday night and about 100 patients suffered further injuries.
Almost no water: 100,000 inhabitants threatened
According to the city council, around 100,000 residents of Mariupol are in mortal danger due to Russian bombing and lack of supplies and hygiene. There is a catastrophic shortage of clean water and food. Russia announced victory in Mariupol last week. President Vladimir Putin has announced that the remaining Ukrainian soldiers will not be able to withdraw.
Russia confirms attacks on Kiev
A day after the visit of UN Secretary General António Guterres to Kiev, the Russian military confirmed the attacks on the Ukrainian capital. Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said in Moscow on Friday that high-precision, long-range missiles hit the factory buildings of Ukrainian missile maker Artem. He did not name the exact time of the Russian attacks.
According to Ukrainian sources, the attacks took place on Thursday night while Guterres was still in the city. A house was also hit. Kiev Mayor Vitali Klitschko said on Friday that a body had been recovered from the rubble. Ten people were also injured.
Klitschko: “Putin showed the middle finger”
Klitschko also sees a clear message for the United Nations in the recent Russian missile attack on Kiev. “Mr Putin gave the middle finger,” Klitschko said of the Russian president in a video message on Friday. UN Secretary-General Guterres told the British broadcaster BBC: “I was shocked to hear that two rockets exploded in the town where I am staying.”
In this context, the US broadcaster Radio Liberty reported the death of one of its employees in Kiev. Ukrainian rescuers recovered Vira Girich’s body from the rubble of a house hit by a rocket. Girich has worked as a producer at the broadcaster’s Kiev office since 2018. The attack apparently took place on Thursday during UN Secretary-General Guterres’ visit to Kiev.
1,200 dead after Russian withdrawal
In the area around Kiev, meanwhile, the death toll following the withdrawal of Russian troops nearly two months ago has risen to nearly 1,200, according to official figures. “To date, 1,187 of our fellow citizens (have been found), our peaceful citizens who died at the hands of the Russian army,” Kiev region police chief Andriy Nebytov said on Ukrainian television on Friday. The day before, 26 other bodies were found. About 200 people are still considered missing.
Russia attacked Ukraine in late February and occupied areas north of the capital Kiev for more than a month. After the withdrawal, hundreds of civilians were found dead, many of them in the small town of Bucha. The images caused horror around the world. Moscow denied any guilt and spoke of a “staging” on the Ukrainian side – without providing any solid evidence for this charge.