On Wednesday, Russia launched military attacks against Ukrainian cities and towns to try to divide the country and seize control of the eastern industrial center of coal mines.
The fighting took place along a boomerang-shaped front that stretched hundreds of miles across what is now known as the eastern Donbas. If successful, Russian President Vladimir Putin would be able to claim a victory following his failed attempt to storm the capital, Kyiv, and heavier-than-expected Russian casualties.
"We may be facing our final days, if we do not live for hours"
The Russian campaign's key objective is to capture Mariupol. This would remove Ukraine from a crucial port and create a land bridge between Russia, Russia, and the Crimean Peninsula. Russia took this territory from Ukraine in 2014. It would also allow Russian troops to move in other parts of the Donbas.
According to Ukrainian troops, the Russian military dropped heavy weapons to destroy what was left of Mariupol's sprawling steel plant. This attack is believed to have been the last standoff by the city's defenders. It also hit a hospital that hundreds were being treated.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister, stated that there had been a preliminary agreement to open a humanitarian corridor to allow women, children, and the elderly to travel from Mariupol west towards the Ukraine-controlled Zaporizhzhia. Telegram messager Iryna Vereshchuk stated that civilians in Mariupol are facing a "catastrophic humanitarian crisis."
Vereshchuk stated that no agreement was reached with Russia regarding an evacuation route for the three previous days. The Russian side did not immediately confirm the claim and issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian defenders Wednesday to surrender after the previous one was ignored. Russia and Ukraine have often blamed one another for blocking evacuations from Mariupol, or firing along the agreed route that has usually been only open to private vehicles.
In a social media video, Serhiy Volyna posted that "We are likely facing our last days, or hours," as a commander of Ukrainian marines fighting in the Steel Plant. "The enemy outnumbers us 10 to 1 They are ahead in the air, artillery, and equipment. We are only protecting one object, Azovstal, where civilians have also fallen prey to the war. We appeal to all world leaders for their assistance. We request them to use the procedure called 'extraction' to take us to the territory a third-party state. We, Mariupol's military battalion, over 500 wounded soldiers and hundreds of civilians, plead for safety on the territory a third-party state." Volyna stated.
Sergei Orlov, Deputy Mayor of Mariupol, stated that he can confirm that there are many civilians. They know that the bomb shelters at steel plants were well-equipped and had food and water. They decided to live in the bomb shelter with their families.
Orlov stated that no assistance was available for people working in the steel plant at the moment.
They have an absolute shortage of everything. Orlov stated that Russia blocks all humanitarian aid and evacuations because of its lack of water, food and medicines.
Fighting is on
Also, deadly attacks were made on the eastern cities of Kharkiv (Kramatorsk). Russia claimed it used missiles to attack areas around Dnipro-Zaporizhia.
Vyacheslav, a 29-year-old paratrooper, was killed in a Russian anti-tank mine near Zaporizhia. Alla Dimovon, his mother, spoke out to CBS News' Charlie D'Agata about how important it was for him to defend his country.
Alla stated, "He dreamed like crazy about becoming a soldier." "But I didn’t bring him here to war, but to live a peaceful existence." He could live with his wife Ivanna.
Dimovon had been married to his widow, 23 years old, for just 18 months. When the war broke out, they were planning to start their own family.
Ivanna said that she told her husband every time they spoke: "I told him, 'I love', take care of yourself," CBS News reported. She stated that she knew every video call with her husband would be their last.
She said, "Now, it's: I love you, take care of me."
Both sides described Monday's Russian attack as a new phase in the war.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian president, stated that Russia was putting all its efforts into the fight. Most of the Russian combat-ready troops are now in Ukraine and near the Russian border.
He said, "They have driven almost all and every one that is capable of fighting against us against Ukraine," in his nightly video address.
He said that the Russians are still targeting residential areas and killing civilians despite claims they are only hitting military sites. He said that the Kremlin had not responded to the proposal to exchange Viktor Medvedchuk (the leader of a proRussian party) for the Mariupol defenses.
Under condition of anonymity, a senior U.S. defense officer spoke out to say that the Russians had created two combat units in Ukraine, also known as battalion tac groups, over the 24 hours preceding. According to the official, this brought the total number of units in the country up to 78. All of them are located in the east and south, as opposed to 65 last week.
Based on the Pentagon's estimate at the beginning of the war that the average unit strength was 700-800 soldiers, this would translate into 55,000-62,000 troops. It is not possible to accurately determine Russia's fighting capabilities at this stage.
Another European official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss military assessment and said that Russia also has 10,000-20,000 foreign fighters operating in the Donbas. According to an official, they are a mixture of Russian proxy fighters from Syria or Libya and mercenaries from Russia’s private Wagner Group.
