Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Civilians reportedly leave steel plant in Mariupol

Civilians reportedly leave steel plant in Mariupol

A group of civilians left the steelworks plant in Mariupol overnight, where the last Ukrainian troops are holding out in the besieged port city.
An estimated 100,000 civilians remain in the port city, which has faced constant shelling since early on in the war.

Russia's offensive in the east of the country has continued as Ukrainian forces fight village by village to stall their advance.

A top official with the Azov Regiment, the Ukrainian unit defending the plant, said 20 women and children were evacuated during a cease-fire.

Several Russian state media outlets reported that 25 civilians were evacuated from the plant. It was not immediately clear if they were referring to the same group of civilians.

"They have been transferred to an agreed place and we hope that they will be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia, in the territory controlled by Ukraine," said Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, in a video on Telegram.

Pope Francis on Sunday repeated his call for humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians trapped in the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

"My thoughts are with the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the city of Mary, bombarded and destroyed in a barbaric way. I renew the request that safe humanitarian corridors be set up for the people trapped in the steel mill of that city," the Pope said during his Angelus prayer.

"I suffer and cry, thinking of the suffering of the Ukrainian population and in particular of the weakest, the elderly and children," the Pope said, according to the Vatican.

He asked people not to surrender to the logic of violence and to take the path of dialogue and peace.

Also, Poland’s armed forces said that military exercises involving thousands of NATO soldiers have begun. The exercises are aimed at improving the security of the alliance's eastern flank.

Poland’s military appealed to the public on Sunday not to publish information or photos of the columns of military vehicles expected to move through the country in the coming weeks. It warned that “ill-considered activity” could harm the alliance’s security.

The Polish Army said in a statement that 18,000 soldiers from over 20 countries were taking part in the Defender Europe 2022 and Swift Response 2022 exercises that are taking place in Poland and eight other countries. The exercises are scheduled to run from May 1 to 27.

Meanwhile, deliveries of Russian gas to EU countries and Turkey fell sharply between January and April compared to the same period in 2021, while those to China exploded, Gazprom announced on Sunday.

Exports to the EU and Turkey amounted to 50.1 billion cubic meters, or 26.9% less than in the same period of 2021, Gazprom, Russia's majority state-owned energy company, said.

Gazprom says it will continue to supply gas "in full compliance with contractual obligations".

In another development, a Russian troll farm is spreading lies on social media and "in comment sections of popular websites," the UK foreign office said in a statement released on Sunday based on government-funded research.

The foreign office said cyber soldiers were targeting people across several countries including the UK, South Africa and India.

They accused the cyber teams of working from an old factory in St Petersburg, Russia, and said the operation was suspected to be linked to Yevgeniy Prigozhin, the founder of an infamous bot farm.

The foreign office said these trolls were attempting to influence opinions of the war in Ukraine and had targeted senior UK ministers and other leaders.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy switched into Russian in his nightly video address to urge soldiers not to fight in Ukraine, saying even their generals expected that thousands of them would die.

He said Russia has been recruiting new troops “with little motivation and little combat experience” for the units that were gutted during the early weeks of the war so these units can be thrown back into battle.

He said Russian commanders fully understand that thousands of them will die and thousands more will be wounded in the coming weeks.

“The Russian commanders are lying to their soldiers when they tell them they can expect to be held seriously responsible for refusing to fight and then also don’t tell them, for example, that the Russian army is preparing additional refrigerator trucks for storing the bodies. They don’t tell them about the new losses the generals expect,” Zelenskyy said late Saturday.

“Every Russian soldier can still save his own life. It’s better for you to survive in Russia than to perish on our land,” he said.

And, after seizing the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in early March, "Russia has sought to legitimize its control of the city" by installing a pro-Russian administration, according to the UK Ministry of Defense.

Russia announced a four-month currency transition in the city to the ruble. "The Russian ruble is due to be used in Kherson from today," the UK said in its latest defense intelligence update.

"These statements are likely indicative of Russian intent to exert strong political and economic influence in Kherson over the long term," the Defense Ministry added.
AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
Hungary's Szeleczki Shines at World Judo Championships
Visegrád Construction Trends Diverge as Hungary Lags
Hungary Hosts National Quantum Technology Workshop
Hungarian Animation Featured at Annecy Festival
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
UK and EU Reach New Economic Agreement
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
UK and EU Reach Agreement on Gibraltar's Schengen Integration
Israeli Finance Minister Imposes Banking Penalties on Palestinians
U.S. Inflation Rises to 2.4% in May Amid Trade Tensions
Trump's Policies Prompt Decline in Chinese Student Enrollment in U.S.
Global Oceans Near Record Temperatures as CO₂ Levels Climb
Trump Announces U.S.-China Trade Deal Covering Rare Earths
Smuggled U.S. Fuel Funds Mexican Cartels Amid Crackdown
Austrian School Shooting Leaves Nine Dead in Graz
Bezos's Lavish Venice Wedding Sparks Local Protests
Europe Prepares for Historic Lunar Rover Landing
Italian Parents Seek Therapy Amid Lengthy School Holidays
British Fishing Vessel Seized by France Fined €30,000
Dutch Government Collapses Amid Migration Policy Dispute
UK Commits to 3.5% GDP Defence Spending Under NATO Pressure
Germany Moves to Expedite Migrant Deportations
US Urges UK to Raise Defence Spending to 5% of GDP
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Low Turnout Jeopardizes Italy's Citizenship Reform Referendum
Transatlantic Interest Rate Divergence Widens as Trump Pressures Powell
EU Lawmaker Calls for Broader Exemptions in Supply Chain Legislation
France's Defense Spending Plans Threatened by High National Debt
European Small-Cap Stocks Outperform U.S. Rivals Amid Growth Revival
Switzerland Proposes $26 Billion Capital Increase for UBS
×