Azovstal is one of the largest steel mills in Europe. We answered four questions about an area that has been under siege for more than a thousand Ukrainians for weeks.
Evacuations of civilians from Mariupol again seemed to fail in Mariupol. According to Ukraine, it has not reached an agreement on a ceasefire with Russia to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal factory site.
The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine said this Iryna Vereštšuk according to the news agency AFP. Prior to that, Russia announced it would begin a ceasefire in Mariupol around the Azovstal factory site to evacuate civilians from the area.
Earlier, according to a press release from the Russian Foreign Ministry, Russian troops would have stopped hostilities and retreated to a safe distance in the afternoon.
Several previous attempts to evacuate civilians have failed after both sides accused each other of violating the ceasefire.
According to a Russian press release, civilians were to be transported “in the direction of their choice.” Ukraine has previously accused Russia of forcibly transporting Ukrainians to Russia.
Who are the blockades in the area?
According to the Mariupol City Council, about a thousand civilians, mainly women, children and the elderly, are hiding in the factory. In addition to civilians, Azovstal also has Ukrainian soldiers. According to Deputy Prime Minister Vereshchuk, Azovstal would also have about 500 wounded soldiers. The matter has been reported by Reuters, among others.
– There are wounded and dead in the bunkers. Civilians have been trapped under the collapsed buildings, Captain Palamar told the BBC.
What is the Azovstal area like?
Before the steel mill turned into a battlefield, it produced more than four million tons of crude steel annually.
The factory in the southern part of Mariupol is right on the shores of the Sea of Azov. It covers an area of more than 11 square kilometers, or 1,100 hectares. The factory area is very labyrinthine. The labyrinth continues under the factory buildings with its bunkers, corridors and communication systems.
– There is practically another city below the city, he described Jan Gagin According to RIA Novost. Adviser to Gagino Donetsk rebels in support of Moscow.
According to an interview with the BBC, civilians are hiding from the soldiers separately on the ground floors of factory buildings in groups of about 80 to 100 people. According to Metinvest, which owns the plant, the shelters could accommodate up to 4,000 people.
How long has the blockade lasted?
The entire city of Mariupol has been the target of severe Russian attacks since the beginning of the war. Memories include attacks on the maternity hospital and the theater. It is not known how long the factory site has been hidden but owned by the factory Metinvest announced (switching to another service) ceased production and opened shelters in the early days of the war.
– We have equipped the shelters with food, water and other supplies. However, there has been a shortage of equipment and it has forced people out of shelters to look for food and cook it over an open fire, the plant manager described the situation in early April. On Metinvest’s Facebook page (you switch to another service).
Why is the area under siege?
Mariupol is the second largest port city in Ukraine. In addition, it has been one of the last cities in the Donetsk region that has not been completely under Russian control.
Russia has demanded that Ukrainian troops leave the factory, give up their weapons and surrender. Ukraine, for its part, hopes to evacuate civilians from the area and has declared defense of the city.