Although Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed victory in the battle to capture Mariupol, which had been under siege for almost two months, the Russian army’s bombing raids on the city never stopped and it was not even possible to evacuate the tens of thousands of civilians evacuate there.
The Russian claim had actually arrived, although the Azovstal steel mill in the city’s port area had not been liberated by the Ukrainian soldiers who barricaded themselves inside and defended it. Putin felt that attempting to storm the facility from the ground would be counterproductive and had given orders to surround them and prevent anyone from leaving until they surrendered. However, the capitulation did not come and the Russian army continued to bombard the plant almost continuously. In addition, in the basement of the steel mill, alongside the Ukrainian soldiers, it is estimated that there are about a thousand civilians, whose supplies of water and food are now running out.
Regarding the attacks on Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday if Russia killed just one of the Ukrainian soldiers defending the steel mill or if it announced a referendum on the independence of the partially occupied southern regions suspend peace negotiations. Meanwhile, Russian attacks continue in the eastern areas of Ukraine, which have become Russia’s main target, and no respite has been granted for the Orthodox Easter celebrated today.