Mariupol | Mission accomplished in Azovstal

(Kyiv) Mission accomplished in Mariupol: the last vulnerable civilians stuck in the Azovstal steel complex have been evacuated, putting an end to a highly perilous operation, which a few days ago still seemed doomed to failure. Across the country, the approach of the Russian celebrations of May 9 raises fears of a new offensive.

Lea Carrier
The Press

Last civilians evacuated from Azovstal

In the space of a week, more than 500 civilians were able to emerge from the rubble of the industrial site where they had taken refuge more than a month ago, Kyiv estimates. Only Friday, 50 people were able to leave Azovstal, under the protection of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, which supervised this risky operation.

“The President’s Order [Volodymyr Zelensky] was executed: all women, children and old people were evacuated from Azovstal. This part of the humanitarian mission in Mariupol is accomplished,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced on Saturday.

But the battle for the port city is far from over: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry has claimed that “the enemy is not stopping its offensive”, still “blocking” the soldiers entrenched in Azovstal.

Strong fears as May 9 approaches

And the offensive could resume with renewed vigor, fear the Ukrainian authorities, on the eve of the Russian celebrations of May 9, which commemorates the fall of the Nazi regime in Germany in May 1945.

“The enemy is trying to finish off the defenders of Azovstal, he is trying to do this before May 9 to give Vladimir Putin a gift,” warned Oleksiï Arestovych, adviser to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Russia performed the last rehearsals on Saturday before its traditional May 9 military parade in Moscow. In the middle of the Ukrainian campaign, the parade will also be an opportunity for a show of force.

Several Ukrainian cities are also preparing for an intensification of Russian attacks and local authorities are urging residents to remain vigilant.

“Please do not ignore air alerts and go to shelters immediately, the risk of bombing is very likely in all regions of Ukraine,” Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned on Friday.

In Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, Ukrainian forces have consolidated their defenses in anticipation of a possible intensification of Russian attacks. According to the American Institute for the Study of War, the Ukrainian counter-offensive gained momentum with the capture of several Russian positions around the city, a key target in the Russian campaign.

“Ukrainian forces are regaining ground along a wide arc around Kharkiv and no longer focusing on a limited thrust, demonstrating an ability to launch offensive operations on a larger scale than so far in this war “, explained the Institute.

Ukraine sinks Russian ship

A hundred kilometers off the port city of Odessa, not far from the tiny Serpents’ Island in the Black Sea, a Russian landing ship was destroyed by the Ukrainian navy, she assured on Saturday.

A Bayraktar TB2 combat drone, developed in Turkey, “hit a landing ship of the 11,770 Serna project as well as two Tor-type surface-to-air missile systems”, the Ukrainian navy said on Facebook, without specifying the location. date.

The ship in question, 26 meters long and armed with machine guns and missile launchers, is designed for the landing of combat vehicles, as well as assault units. Moscow did not confirm the information.

No “evidence” that Russia is considering nuclear weapons

According to the CIA, Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to continue the war in Ukraine, but there are no indications that he plans to use nuclear weapons in the conflict.

Despite Ukrainian resistance, Vladimir Putin is “in such a state of mind that he does not think he can afford to lose” and thinks “that redoubled efforts will allow him to progress”, said Saturday the director of the main US intelligence agency, Bill Burns.

Nevertheless, the CIA does not see, at least at this stage, “concrete evidence that Russia is preparing the deployment or even the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons”.

But the agency intends to follow this issue closely: “Given the declarations going to war that […] we have heard from Russian leaders, we cannot take these possibilities lightly,” Mr. Burns added.

With Agence France-Presse