Ukraine: Russian troops break Mariupol ceasefire

At the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, the Russian attack continues, according to the Ukrainian army. Russia previously announced that it would cease fighting for three days from Thursday between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. to allow for evacuations.

According to Kiev, Russia has not kept that promise. The Kremlin says humanitarian corridors will be operational on Thursday and evacuations can continue.

Fighting has been going on for days around the Azovstal factory, the last stronghold of Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol. There is an unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers there, but because there are also civilians, large evacuations are being organized. On Tuesday, the mayor of the city reported that at least two hundred citizens would be housed in the factory complex.

Evacuations

On Wednesday, the Red Cross and the United Nations were able to bring more than 300 civilians from Mariupol to the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhya. It is unclear how many of these have been evacuated from the factory. According to Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky, there are also women and children in Azovstal. According to him, it is difficult to get people out of there because there is a lot of rubble.

Ukraine reported on Wednesday that Russian soldiers had partially penetrated the site, but the Kremlin says there is no question of a storm. According to various international media, the Azovstal factory was also bombed on Wednesday.