Evaluating the latest situation of the Russia-Ukraine war, the US-based Institute for War Studies (ISW) announced that Russian troops entered the Azovstal Iron and Steel Factory facility, which has been at the center of conflicts in Mariupol for days, and may now be moving through it.
In recent weeks, the Russian military has said they have captured all of Mariupol, with the exception of Azovstal, one of Europe’s largest metal factories.
Hundreds of civilians, who were in the middle of the siege of the Russian army and heavy armed clashes, began to be evacuated from the port city.
However, it is estimated that almost 200 civilians still took shelter at the factory site, which has been under heavy bombardment in recent days.
About 100 people have been successfully evacuated from the Azovstal plant so far.
Ukrainian authorities report that Russian troops have now launched a full-scale attack against the factory and have entered the facility.
“Heavy and bloody conflicts”
Ukrainian army officials report that “heavy and bloody clashes” took place inside the Azovstal facility.
Speaking in a video message shared on Telegram, Commander Denis Prokopenko congratulated his soldiers for their “extraordinary efforts” and stated that the situation at the factory was “incredibly difficult”.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy asked for support from the United Nations (UN) for the evacuation of civilians who could not leave the factory yet.
In a phone call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last night, Zelenskiy thanked the evacuation work done at the factory site this week, but said “more help is needed to get all the injured out of Azovstal”.
“The lives of those who have not yet left the region are in danger,” Zelenskiy said.
“Heart of War”
Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance since the beginning of the war. In the past weeks, the last point of this resistance was the Azovstal Factory.
Speaking to the BBC, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry Advisor Yuriy Sak said that the factory is “the top priority” for the country’s political and military superiority, and that work continues for the protection of the facility and the evacuation of civilians.
Saying that Mariupol has become the “heart of the war”, Sak said he thinks an agreement will be reached to establish humanitarian corridors and evacuate civilians and wounded soldiers.
“We’re optimistic about this for now, but we’ve had bad experiences before and we’ve seen Russia fail to keep its word,” Sak says.
More than 300 civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol and parts of southern Ukraine on Wednesday, the UN said.
Officials say the Russian army is continuing to advance to maintain “full control” of Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine.
However, according to the UN’s statement, Russia has not yet managed to enter the front lines Lyman, Severdonetsk and Popasnyansk.
ISW also stated that the Ukrainian army was successful in blocking the Russian soldiers trying to advance in the east of the country.
In a message shared on Telegram, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its soldiers bombarded many points on Wednesday night, and 600 Ukrainians lost their lives.
While the news of the attack on the factory comes from the Ukrainian authorities, the Kremlin denies the allegations.
New York Times: Ukraine targets Russian generals thanks to US intelligence
The US-based New York Times newspaper wrote that the US provided direct intelligence to the Ukrainian army, helping them target and kill Russian generals.
The New York Times, in its news based on the information it received from high-level American officials, reminded that Ukraine has killed 12 Russian generals and many military strategy advisers so far. He stated that this could be done as a result of the intelligence information shared by the Joe Biden administration with Ukraine’s senior soldiers fighting at the front. However, the officials who spoke to the newspaper did not share the information exactly how many of these generals were targeted and killed thanks to the intelligence shared by the USA.
According to the news, the USA instantly shares the locations of its bases with Ukraine, which Russia is constantly changing on the front. This makes it possible to target the mechanical infrastructure of Ukraine, the Russian army and generals.
There was a reaction from Moscow to the news that the USA shared intelligence to target Russian generals.
Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, who held a press conference a few hours after the news was published, stated that they are aware that the USA, England and other NATO countries are providing continuous intelligence support to the Ukrainian army; He said this would “not deter Russia from achieving its goals”.