Putin’s ally predicts Mariupol’s win today

Kyiv: After Ukraine initiated talks on evacuating troops and people, the Russian military claimed they would capture the Mariupol steel factory on Thursday.

Mariupol would be Russia’s largest city seizure since it invaded Ukraine eight weeks ago, causing almost five million people to flee and destroying towns and cities.

The Ukrainian defence ministry did not respond quickly.

Witnesses told Reuters that a tiny bus convoy escaped the bloodiest battle of the war on Wednesday.

Serhiy Volny, a Ukrainian marine commander, predicted Wednesday that fighters at the steel complex may not last long. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy says there are 1,000 civilians there as well.

To save our guys, (the far right) Azov (battalion), military, civilians, children, the living and the wounded,” negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak tweeted.

The fighters have refused to surrender despite a Russian ultimatum. David Arakhamia, the second negotiator, stated that he and Podolyak were in close contact with Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv.

“Today, in a conversation with the city defenders, a proposal was put forward to hold direct negotiations, on site, on the evacuation of our military garrison,” he said. “For our part, we are ready to arrive for such negotiations at any time as soon as we receive confirmation from the Russian side.”

Authorities said fewer civilians departed on Wednesday than expected.

Ukraine said it had so far repelled a Russian invasion of thousands of troops in the Donbas, a new drive to conquer two eastern provinces claimed by rebels.

The Russian defence ministry claimed that dozens of military targets in eastern Ukraine, including a Ukrainian Mi-8 helicopter near Koroviy Yar, were attacked by Russian forces.

On Wednesday, Russia tested its new intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat, for the first time.

In addition, “This truly unique weapon will… provide food for thought for those who, in the heat of frenzied aggressive rhetoric, try to threaten our country,” Putin stated.

Russia proclaims its incursion a “special military operation” to demilitarise and “denazify” Ukraine. That’s a falsehood, say Kyiv and its Western friends.

The West has retaliated with sanctions.

The US targeted dozens of people and companies on Wednesday, including a commercial bank and a virtual currency mining operation.

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