Ukrainian army says Russian forces are trying to invade Mariupol steel plant

On Sunday, Russian forces attempted to invade the steel mills in Azovstal which they control UkraineIn the besieged city of Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said, despite Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments last week that the complex does not need to be seized.

Armed Forces Command Ukraine She wrote on Facebook that the Russians were shooting and carrying out “offensive operations” in the Azovstal region, as well as air raids on civilian infrastructure.

Serhii Volina, commander of the 36th Marines Brigade Ukraine In Mariupol, in an interview with an opposition lawmaker that was shown on YouTube last Sunday, that Russia The compound was bombarded with aerial bombardment and artillery.

The open photo shows the Azovstal steel mill, a symbol of the Ukrainian resistance in Mariupol – Photo: Alexander Ermoshenko/Reuters

Konstantin Ivashenko, the official who was appointed mayor of Mariupol by Russiabut was never recognized as such before UkraineHe denied the occurrence of any clashes in the city, in statements published by the Russian news agency TASS on Sunday.

Reuters was not able to independently verify the Ukrainian or Russian allegations.

April 20, 2022 Photo of the Azovstal factory where Ukrainian soldiers are hiding. Photo: Reuters/Alexander Ermoshenko

The Azovstal steel plant is Ukraine’s main remaining stronghold in Mariupol, a city that has been under constant bombardment since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.

Earlier on Sunday, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Aristovich wrote on Facebook that “Russian forces are trying to eliminate the defenders of Azovstal and more than 1,000 civilians hiding in the plant.”