No way to break Russian siege of Mariupol and Azovstal to rescue Ukrainian troops, says deputy defense minister
Read also: Azovstal defenders say they won’t surrender as they have orders to hold the steel mill
Malyar said that if such a counter-offensive operation to break through the Russian siege of Mariupol were possible, it would already have happened, public broadcasting company Suspilne reported.
“Ukraine’s Armed Forces are doing their best, doing everything they can to resolve the situation,” Malyar said.
Read also: Russian invaders kill 25,000 people in Mariupol, mostly civilians, says Azov Regiment
The Ukrainian defensive operation in Mariupol is conducted by the Armed Forces, Border Guard units, National Guard soldiers and National Police, added Malyar.
“We should understand that this subject is very sensitive, each word may be used by the enemy to damage the morale of Ukrainian defensive units,” she said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on May 7 made a statement on Azovstal, a steel plant in Mariupol where hundreds of civilians to shelter in bomb shelters, and which is the only remaining part of the city still under Ukrainian control.
Zelensky said that humanitarian missions managed to evacuate as many as 300 civilians and there were plans to go on to rescue wounded soldiers and healthcare workers.
However, on May 10 the Ukrainian leader said that Russia wouldn’t agree to any of the offers made by the Ukrainian side on rescuing the Ukrainians soldiers in Mariupol.
