Azov commander describes 'bloody battle' for Mariupol's Azovstal
Subscribe to The Telegraph with our special offer: just £1 for 3 months. Start your free trial now: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/customer/subscribe/digitalsub/3for1/?WT.mc_id=tmgoff_pvid_conversion-subscription_editorial-iniative_03-22_EGW-13_organic_youtube Ukraine says Russia is "trying to destroy" its remaining soldiers holed up in Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant, as "bloody battles" have broken out in the giant factory. "Russian occupiers are focusing on blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units in the Azovstal area," Kyiv's army said in a statement. The statement came as a Russian-announced ceasefire was due to begin at the besieged plant, where hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and some civilians have been trapped for weeks. A commander of the Azov battalion, leading the defense of Mariupol, said late on Wednesday that Russian soldiers have entered the plant and that there were "ongoing, bloody battles." "For two days, the enemy has burst into the enclosure of the steelworks," Azov commander Denys Prokopenko said in a video on Telegram. "The situation is extremely difficult but despite this we continue to execute the order to hold the defence." Get the latest headlines: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/ Telegraph.co.uk and YouTube.com/TelegraphTV are websites of The Telegraph, the UK's best-selling quality daily newspaper providing news and analysis on UK and world events, business, sport, lifestyle and culture.
