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Russia-Ukraine war on May 1: Russia attacked southeastern Ukraine; civilians evacuated from the factory in Mariupol

Russia attacks southeastern Ukraine;  Civilians evacuate the factory in Mariupol - Photo 1.

Damaged area inside a factory on fire after Russian shelling, in Kharkov, Ukraine, April 30, 2022. Photo: Reuters

Moscow has shifted its focus to the south and east of Ukraine after failing to capture the capital, Kiev.

Russian forces took control of the southern town of Kherson, creating a bridge about 100km north of Crimea. Moscow also occupies most of Mariupol, a strategic eastern port city on the Sea of ​​Azov.

Russia declared victory in Mariupol on April 21, while hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians were still sheltering in the Azovstal steel plant. The United Nations urged an evacuation agreement, and on April 30, a Ukrainian fighter inside the factory said about 20 women and children had made it outside.

“We took the civilians out with ropes, mainly old people, women and children,” said fighter Sviatoslav Palamar.

Palamar said both Russia and Ukraine respected the ceasefire and he hoped the displaced civilians would be moved to the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia in the northwest. A member of Mariupol city council expressed hope for a breakthrough in the evacuation.

There was no comment from Russia or the United Nations about the evacuation. According to Ukrainian officials, hundreds of Ukrainians are still inside the factory.

Maksym Marchenko, governor of the Odessa region, announced that a Russian missile launched from Crimea had destroyed the runway at the main airport to the west of the city. No one was injured, he added.

According to the Ukrainian military, the airport is no longer usable. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a late-night video speech that the country would rebuild the airport, saying: “Odessa will never forget what the Russians did.”

There was no comment on the attack from Moscow, whose forces have regularly targeted Odessa, Ukraine’s third largest city. Ukrainian officials reported that eight people were killed in a Russian attack on the city last week.

According to some analysts, Moscow’s offensive in the south aims to connect this region with Crimea in the context of Russia pushing for complete control over the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.

In his speech, Zelensky said Russia was “gathering more forces for new attacks on the Ukrainian army in the east of the country” and “trying to increase pressure in the Donbass”.

Despite the weeks-long peace talks, both sides still seem to have no common ground.

On April 30, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov emphasized that lifting Western sanctions against Moscow was part of the negotiations, but senior Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak rejected this condition.

President Zelensky insisted that sanctions should be strengthened and not negotiable. On April 29, he warned that negotiations could fall apart due to Russia’s actions.

Ukraine accuses the Russian military of carrying out atrocities when it withdrew from areas near Kiev in early April 2022, but Moscow denies the claims. The negotiators last met in person on March 29, and since then they have been communicating online.

The United States and its European allies have imposed sweeping sanctions on the Russian economy and provided arms and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.

US President Joe Biden is discussing a $33 billion aid package for Kiev, including $20 billion in weapons. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on April 30 that his country would continue to “provide Ukraine with the equipment it needs to defend itself”.

According to Foreign Minister Lavrov, if Washington and its partners in the NATO military alliance really want to solve the crisis, they should stop sending weapons to Kiev.

On April 30, in the town of Dobropillia in Donetsk, the shockwave from the attack blew out the window of an apartment building.

One resident said his wife was across the street from the living room at the time of the attack and was immediately knocked unconscious.

“Thank God, my four kids were in the kitchen,” he said, standing in the middle of the demolished living room.

People at the apartment building search for leftover belongings.

“At around 9:20 a.m. (local time), the rocket flew to our house,” another resident, Oleh, said. “Everything is destroyed.”

On April 30, Russia accused Ukraine of carrying out a number of attacks on its territory.

Officials in Russia’s Bryansk region, which borders Ukraine and Belarus, said air defenses prevented a Ukrainian plane from entering. They say shelling hit a Russian oil plant.

Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit said: “South of Bryansk in the Kursk region of Russia, also on the border with Ukraine, Kiev fired several shells towards the Russian checkpoint. We have not recorded any casualties or damage.” .

Ukraine denies responsibility for the attacks on Russian territory.

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