Pavel Polityuk

KYIV (Reuters – Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zeleskiy stated that diplomatic efforts are underway to rescue the fighters trapped in the Azovstal steelworks, Mariupol. More civilians have been evacuated from this bombed out plant.

They have pledged not to surrender. Ukrainian officials fear Russian forces will try to eliminate them by Monday, just in time for Moscow’s memorials of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Ukraine claimed that 50 civilians had been evacuated by Russia on Friday. Russia was accused of violating the truce meant to permit dozens more underground refugees to flee after being under siege for weeks.

Mariupol was subject to the worst bombardment in 10 weeks. The sprawling Soviet-era Azovstal facility is now the final part of Mariupol, a strategically important southern port at the Azov sea. Ukrainian fighters are still holding it.

Zelenskiy claimed in a video late-night address that Ukraine was working with a diplomat to help defenders who were trapped within the steelworks. The number of Ukrainian fighters still in the steelworks was not known.

He stated that influential intermediaries and states were implicated, without providing further information.

United Nations-brokered rescue operations began last weekend for hundreds of civilians trapped below the plant in tunnels and bunkers. They were stopped by new fighting during the following week.

Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, stated that 50 children, women and seniors were evacuated on Friday afternoon. She added that Saturday would see the operations continue. She said that the Russian side had repeatedly violated ceasefires, which made evacuation very slow.

Russia confirmed the numbers of those evacuated and stated that Azovstal’s humanitarian operations would continue until May 7.

According to the mayor of the city earlier in this week, 200 people were left without water or food at the plant. Unknown how many people remained.

Oleksiy Arestovych, the Ukrainian presidential advisor, said that Russia wanted to end the forces at the plant in order to seize the facility by Monday to give President Vladimir Putin a present for World War Two Victory Day.

Putin declared victory at Mariupol, April 21st. He ordered that the plant be sealed and asked for Ukrainian troops to enter to disarm. Russia reopened its attack on the plant later.

Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) was asked about Russia’s plans to commemorate the World War Two anniversary date in Ukraine. He said, “The time will arrive to celebrate Victory Day at Mariupol.”

BATTLE FOR THE EST

Ukraine and its allies in the west claim that Russian forces are making slow progress towards their new goal of seizing the capital Kyiv.

Mariupol lies between Russia-backed separatists and the Crimea Peninsula, both of which were seized in 2014. It is crucial to link the Russian-held territory and block Ukrainian exports.

Moscow refers to its actions as “special military action” in order to disarm Ukraine, and remove what it terms anti-Russian nationalalism that was fomented by West.

The West and Ukraine claim that Russia started an unprovoked conflict and accuse Russian troops of war crimes. Moscow refutes the accusations and claims it only targets strategic or military sites and not civilians.

Since the invasion, more than 5,000,000 Ukrainians fled to other countries.

SHOW OF UNITY

On Friday, the U.S. President Joe Biden signed $150 million in weapons packages for Ukraine. This package included additional radar, artillery, and other equipment. It is part of a series to aid Kyiv in repelling Russia’s invasion.

Biden, along with other Western leaders, will hold a video conference call on Sunday with Zelenskiy, according to the White House in an act of unity.

Russia, along with the U.N. Security Council expressed its “deep concern” about the current situation in Ukraine. This was their first statement since the February 24 invasion.

Russia’s economy is now at its largest contraction in years since 1991, when it was subject to the most harsh sanctions. More measures have been proposed by the European Union.

The new sanctions package, which also includes an oil embargo has met with some resistance. Viktor Orban, the Hungarian Prime Minister, compared it to an “atomic bomb” that was dropped on the country’s economy.