The Russian offensive continues, the mayor of Mariupol calls for help
According to a report by the Ukrainian General Staff published on Facebook on Sunday, the Russian army was continuing its offensive, “focusing its main efforts on the vicinity of the cities of Kiev, Kharkiv and Mykolaiv”.
The situation is ” very difficult “ in Mariupol, subject to “a humanitarian blockade” and intense shelling, said Vadim Boïtchenko, the mayor of this strategic port in the south-east of the country besieged by Russian forces. “We have been living without electricity for five days, we have no heating or mobile network”said Mr. Boïtchenko, in an interview broadcast Saturday evening on YouTube.
According to him, the bombardments of the last few days have caused “thousands of injured” and Russian forces prevent the arrival of food and medicine. “The city of Mariupol no longer exists”he launched. “I ask our American and European partners: help us, save Mariupol! »
The fall of Mariupol, a city of about 450,000 inhabitants, would be a turning point. It would allow the junction between the troops coming from annexed Crimea, which have already taken the other key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and those of Donbass, then to these consolidated forces to go up towards the center and the north of Ukraine .