“Bombs falling every 10 minutes,” says Ukrainian officer in Mariupol

Mariupol got here beneath additional heavy bombardment in a single day, in accordance with a Ukrainian officer inside the town.

“Bombs are falling each 10 minutes; Russian navy warships are shelling. Yesterday the troopers defused 4 tanks, [as well as] armored autos and troops. We nonetheless want ammunition, anti-tank weapons and air protection,” Captain Svyatoslav Palamar of the Nationwide Guard Azov Regiment in Mariupol informed CNN.

Palamar mentioned he and his fellow fighters wouldn’t give up in Mariupol.

Some background: The Russian-issued deadline for Mariupol authorities to give up the town handed at 5 a.m. Moscow (10 p.m. ET Sunday), with Ukrainians rejecting the ultimatum.

The port metropolis of Mariupol, which earlier than the struggle was residence to round 450,000 individuals, has been beneath close to fixed assault from Russian forces since early March with satellite tv for pc photos displaying vital destruction to residential areas.

Whereas the Russian ultimatum appeared to supply those that selected to give up protected passage out of the town, it made no such ensures for these remaining.

Russia has repeatedly been accused of concentrating on civilians, with trapped residents describing the onslaught as “hell.”

The Russian assaults have led to a complete collapse in primary providers, with residents unable to entry gasoline, electrical energy or water. Our bodies are being left on the street as a result of there’s both nobody left to gather them, or it is just too harmful to attempt.

An official within the metropolis mentioned individuals are scared to depart their underground shelters even to pay money for necessities, that means they have been making an attempt to drink much less water and eat much less meals, solely rising to organize sizzling meals.

Taken in opposition to their will: On Sunday, the Mariupol Metropolis Council mentioned residents are being taken to Russia in opposition to their will by Russian forces. Captured Mariupol residents have been taken to camps the place Russian forces checked their telephones and paperwork, then redirected a number of the residents to distant cities in Russia, the council mentioned. Russia denied the accusations Saturday.

Why Russia needs to manage Mariupol: The town is a strategic port that lies on a stretch of coast connecting the jap Ukrainian area of Donbas with the Crimean peninsula. Russian-backed separatists have fashioned breakaway statelets in components of the Donbas and Crimea has been beneath Russian management since 2014. Russian forces seem like making an attempt to take full management of the world to create a land hall between the 2 areas, squeezing Mariupol with brutal army pressure.