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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Samantha Lock and Léonie Chao-Fong

Russia-Ukraine war: what we know on day 72 of the invasion

Pro-Russian forces fire from a tank during fighting near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, southern Ukraine
Pro-Russian forces fire from a tank during fighting near the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, southern Ukraine, as Vladimir Putin demanded Ukrainian fighters in the facility surrender. Photograph: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters
  • A third United Nations operation is under way to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. “A convoy is proceeding to get to Azovstal by tomorrow morning hopefully to receive those civilians remaining in that bleak hell ... and take them back to safety,” the UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, said.

  • The UN secretary general, António Guterres, has described the war zone in Mariupol as appearing to be “hellscapes”. The UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross have so far helped nearly 500 civilians flee the steel plant area in the southern port city during two operations in the past week.

  • A Ukrainian commander said “heavy, bloody fighting” continues at Azovstal and Russia violated its promise of a ceasefire, preventing the evacuation of civilians. Svyatoslav Palamar, a commander of the Azov regiment that is defending the site, said in a video on Telegram: “Russians violated the promise of a truce and did not allow the evacuation of civilians who continue to hide from shelling in the basement of the plant.” Palamar earlier pleaded for help for the “wounded soldiers dying in terrible agony” and the evacuation of civilians trapped in the plant.

  • The Russian president, Vladimir Putin, demanded that Ukraine order its fighters holed up in Azovstal to surrender, the Kremlin said. In a call with Israel’s prime minister, Naftali Bennett, Putin claimed Russia was still ready to provide safe passage for civilians from the plant, according to the Kremlin.

  • The UK government has placed sanctions on Evraz, the multinational steelmaker part-owned by the billionaire Roman Abramovich. The company was formerly counted among Britain’s biggest companies. The Foreign Office said on Thursday that the action would “further chip away at Putin’s financial reserves and siege economy, and support Ukraine’s continued resistance”.

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