Mariupol situation on April 22: Mr. Zelensky suddenly said that there is still a way for Ukraine to win

President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was still possible to rescue Ukrainian fighters trapped in Mariupol, but Kiev would need foreign help to do so. Meanwhile, Russia claims the city has been completely liberated, leaving only about 2,000 people in the Azovstal factory complex.

“There is a military way” to stop Mariupol, Zelensky told the media during a press conference with the prime ministers of Spain and Denmark in Kiev.

“We need to prepare for it. We are preparing to be strong, but here we need the help of our partners. It is difficult for ourselves,” he added.

Earlier, on Thursday, April 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that the Sea port of Azov is completely in the hands of the Russian and Donetsk troops, except for a besieged group hiding at home. Azovstal steel machine. Shoigu estimated the number of people still entrenched in the factory at around 2,000.

About 8,100 Ukrainian soldiers, militiamen and mercenaries were in Mariupol when it was besieged last month, the defense minister said, and 1,478 of them surrendered.

Shoigu said it will take 3-4 days to clear the factory. However, Mr. Putin told the minister not to enter the factory to ensure the lives of Russian soldiers. Instead, he ordered “to surround the factory so that not even a fly can get through”.

Mariupol is the stronghold of the “Azov”, a volunteer regiment formed after the 2014 coup in Kiev, which openly accepted Nazi symbolism. This unit was later integrated into the National Guard of Ukraine and has units across the country.

The trapped “Azov” fighters rejected Russia’s offer to surrender, insisting they were allowed to keep their weapons and instead demanded to be transported to another country. The authorities in Kiev are said to have forbidden them to surrender, demanding that they fight to the last man.

April 24 will mark the 2nd anniversary of the war in Ukraine, with pain and loss recorded on both sides while negotiations to find a peace agreement are still at an impasse.