Status: 05/05/2022 10:20 a.m
Despite the announced ceasefire, the Ukraine is reporting renewed attacks on the besieged steel works. According to the UN, more than 300 people from Mariupol and other cities in the region have been brought to safety so far.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian troops have tried again to storm the Azovstal steelworks in the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol. “With the support of the air force, the enemy renewed his attack with the aim of taking control of the factory site,” the Ukrainian general staff said in its situation report in the morning. In addition to the Ukrainian fighters, it is estimated that up to 200 civilians have also sought refuge in the steelworks.
conflicting parties as a source
In the current situation, information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body.
ceasefire announced
For the coming days, Russia announced a daily ceasefire limited to several hours so that these people can get to safety. According to the Russian government, an escape corridor for civilians is to be set up at certain times of the day by Sunday. The statement published on Telegram said the corridor would be opened by the Russian armed forces and their allies. The armed forces would refrain from military action during this time, withdraw to a safe distance and facilitate civilians’ withdrawal to a destination of their own choosing.
However, there was no confirmation from other sources for the crackdown. Similar promises to set up escape corridors have not been kept in the past.
According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukraine is also ready to guarantee a ceasefire in Mariupol in order to enable the remaining civilians to escape.
Announced ceasefire should enable further escape actions for civilians from Mariupol
Victoria Reith, WDR, daily news 09:00 a.m., May 5th, 2022
UN: More than 300 people evacuated
According to the United Nations, more than 300 civilians have now been evacuated from Mariupol and four other cities in the region. The people were taken to Ukrainian-held Zaporizhia, said Osnat Lubrani, the UN emergency relief coordinator. It was the second successful evacuation operation.
Lubrani added that many of the civilians from Mariupol, Manzhush, Berdyansk, Tokmak and Vasylivka came out with nothing but clothes on their bodies and are now receiving humanitarian aid. The people also received urgently needed psychological help.
Zelenskyy confirmed that the 344 evacuees yesterday are in addition to the more than 150 people who were evacuated from Azovstal bunkers just this week. Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk reported in the Telegram online service that a total of 334 people were rescued from Mariupol and the surrounding area.
Donetsk under heavy shelling
The situation also remains tense on other front sections in the Donbass. Accordingly, the Ukrainian troops in front of Donetsk are under heavy fire from artillery and air force. The Russian military is trying to initiate further attacks on the cities of Liman, Popasna and Sieverodonetsk. According to their own statements, the Ukrainians were able to fend off the attacks.
The General Staff reported a success from the southern front: It was there that the enemy had been able to wrest control of several towns on the border between the Cherson and Mykolaiv regions. The Kiev military leadership did not give any details or place names. The information cannot be independently verified.
Shaded in white: advance of the Russian army. Shaded in green: Russian-backed separatist areas. Crimea: annexed by Russia.
Image: ISW/05/04/2022
Donbass and Luhansk: dead and injured
After the massive shelling of several Ukrainian cities in Donbass, local authorities reported many civilian deaths and injuries. After a rocket hit Kramatorsk, 25 people were injured, nine houses, a school and objects of civil infrastructure were damaged, said the head of the military administration of the Donetsk region, Pavlo Kyrylenko, on his Telegram channel. According to Kyrylenko, Chasiv Yar, Mariinka and Avdiivka were also fired upon. At least one person died in Chasiv Yar.
The governor of the Luhansk region, which was also heavily contested, Serhiy Hajday, spoke of at least five dead from the shelling of the cities of Sievjerodonetsk, Lyssychansk, Hirske and Popasna. He did not give any information about the number of people injured. Here, too, houses and infrastructure were badly damaged, Hajdaj said.