Russia is attacking the Azovstal metal plant, the primary remaining Ukrainian stronghold within the besieged port metropolis of Mariupol, with bunker-buster bombs, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak mentioned on Tuesday.
“Russia continues to shell Azovstal with highly effective anti-bunker bombs. The world watches the homicide of youngsters on-line and stays silent,” Podolyak mentioned on Twitter.
The metal plant is sheltering hundreds of troopers and civilians and is likely one of the final substantial holdouts in Mariupol – an vital goal for the Russians.
The port metropolis has been underneath relentless bombardment for weeks and would enable Moscow to ascertain management over territory linking the Donbas in south-eastern Ukraine to annexed Crimea.
‘Degree all the things to the bottom’
Earlier on Tuesday, the Safety Service of Ukraine (SBU) launched a communications intercept of a Russian floor unit commander who mentioned Russian plane have been planning to “stage all the things to the bottom” across the Azovstal metal plant.
“Ready for ‘surprises’ from Russia… three-ton ones, from the sky… They mentioned to stage it to the bottom… The lieutenant colonel got here and mentioned ‘You’re going to really feel it’… Think about what the explosion shall be like,’” the SBU cites a Russian platoon chief as saying within the audio recording.
Moscow denies concentrating on civilians in its “particular army operation” – the time period it makes use of to label the warfare it launched on Ukraine on February 24.
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