War on Ukraine: Navy in Mariupol requests evacuation

The Ukrainian commander of the remaining marines in Mariupol has asked for an evacuation to a third country. Another ceasefire is said to be in the port city today. Attacks in eastern Ukraine are increasing.

In a dramatic appeal, the Ukrainian commander of the remaining marines in the heavily contested Mariupol has asked for an evacuation to a third country. “The enemy outnumbers us 10 to 1,” Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, said in a one-minute video message posted to Facebook early this morning. “We appeal to all world leaders to help us.”

Russia has advantages in the air, artillery, ground forces, equipment and tanks, Wolyna says. The Ukrainian side is defending only one object, the Azovstal Steel Works, where there are civilians in addition to the military. Volyna asks the military of the Mariupol garrison to take more than 500 wounded fighters and hundreds of civilians to safety on the territory of a third country. “This is our appeal to the world,” said Wolyna. “This could be the last appeal of our lives.”

Wolyna told the CNN TV channel that an evacuation could be carried out by ship or helicopter. An international humanitarian mission is also a possibility.

New deadline for Mariupol

Meanwhile, Moscow announced a new deadline for the last entrenched defenders at the Mariupol steelworks. According to Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, there should be a unilateral ceasefire including an escape corridor from the steelworks for 2 p.m. Moscow time (1 p.m. CET). During the ceasefire, Ukrainian fighters could surrender and civilians could be evacuated, the Russian colonel general said in a statement. Russia wants to take complete control of the strategically important port city. Previous ultimatums to the defenders allowed them to expire.

The city and the port are largely considered to have been destroyed. Most recently, according to Russian information, around 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and 400 foreign mercenaries were holed up in the steelworks. According to Ukrainian reports, around 1,000 civilians are said to have sought protection there. Russia has repeatedly called on Ukrainian troops to surrender.

Zelenskyj: The situation in Mariupol remains extremely serious

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy sees the situation in the port city of Mariupol as “as difficult as possible”. The Russian military is blocking all attempts to organize humanitarian corridors and rescue Ukrainian citizens, Zelenskyy said in his nightly video message published on Telegram that night.

City residents who are in the hands of Russian units are being tried to be “deported” or mobilized into Russian troops. Unfortunately, Zelenskyy said, no replies were received to the proposal for an exchange that would allow saving civilians and the city’s defenders. He did not provide any further information about the exchange. The information cannot be independently verified.

Explosions in the southern city of Mykolaiv

Shelling was again reported from the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv. “Explosions in Mykolaiv again,” the city’s mayor, Olexander Senkevych, wrote on Telegram early this morning. He urged city residents to stay away from windows and stay in safe places.

According to the Ukrainian news agency Unian, residents of the city also reported that fire had broken out in places. So far there is no information about damage or casualties.

Kyiv reports Russian attacks against Sievjerodonetsk

The Ukrainian General Staff reported unsuccessful Russian attempts to storm the cities of Rubizhne and Sieverodonetsk in eastern Ukraine’s Luhansk Oblast. “After attempts by the Russian occupiers to storm Rubishne and Sievjerodonetsk, 130 injured enemy soldiers were taken to the local hospital in Novoaidar,” the general staff said in its situation report.

In addition, the Ukrainian military command reported Russian offensive efforts near the small town of Izyum in the Kharkov region and heavy fighting around Marjinka, Popasna, Torske, Selena Dolyna and Kreminna.

Separatists report capture of Kreminna

Groups of the self-proclaimed “Luhansk People’s Republic” had previously announced that they had taken the small town of Kreminna in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. The city of Kreminna is completely under the control of the units of the “People’s Republic,” the Luhansk “People’s Militia” announced on Telegram last night. An attached video shows a Russian flag hanging on the front door of the city administration. The reports cannot be verified independently.

The Ukrainian governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajday, reported on Monday that control of the small town north of the city of Sievjerodonetsk had been lost. In Kreminna about 4,000 of the 18,000 inhabitants before the war are said to be still holding out. According to the latest analysis by the US war research institute ISW, the advance to Kreminna was the only Russian ground offensive within 24 hours that made “significant progress”.

London: Russia’s advances in Ukraine hampered

According to British observations, Russian shelling and attacks along the Donbass demarcation line in eastern Ukraine continue to increase. However, Ukraine is fending off numerous advances by Russian troops, the Ministry of Defense said in London, citing intelligence information.

Russian advances, meanwhile, continued to be hampered by terrain, logistical and technical difficulties. Added to this is the resilience of the highly motivated Ukrainian army. The failure of Russia to break resistance in the southeastern Ukrainian port of Mariupol and the indiscriminate Russian attacks that hit civilians are further indications that Moscow is not achieving its goals as quickly as hoped.